The moderating role of parent perceptions in relationships between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and pre-schooler's physical activity: Findings from the PLAYCE study

Andrea Nathan; Jasper Schipperijn; Trina Robinson; Phoebe George; Bryan Boruff; Stewart G Trost; Hayley Christian

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103030

The moderating role of parent perceptions in relationships between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and pre-schooler's physical activity: Findings from the PLAYCE study

Health Place. 2023 May:81:103030. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103030. Epub 2023 Apr 26.

Authors

Andrea Nathan¹, Jasper Schipperijn², Trina Robinson³, Phoebe George⁴, Bryan Boruff⁵, Stewart G Trost⁶, Hayley Christian⁴

Affiliations

¹ Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: Andrea.Nathan@telethonkids.org.au.
² Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
³ Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁴ Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁵ School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁶ School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

PMID: 37116253
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103030

Abstract

We examined the moderating effects of parent perceptions of the neighbourhood environment on associations between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and physical activity among pre-schoolers. The number of neighbourhood parks was positively associated with pre-schooler energetic play when parents had above average perceptions of access to services. Objectively measured street connectivity was associated with fewer minutes of energetic play when pedestrian and traffic safety was perceived to be below average by parents. Greater understanding of the role played by parents in pre-schooler's exposure to physically active supportive environments is needed to inform environmental interventions for specific age groups.

Keywords: Built environment; Children; Interaction effects; Parent perceptions; Physical activity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Environment Design*
Exercise*
Humans
Neighborhood Characteristics
Parents
Residence Characteristics