Parents' attitudes regarding their children's play during COVID-19: Impact of socioeconomic status and urbanicity

Leigh M Vanderloo; Kendall Saravanamuttoo; Matthew Bourke; Shiran Zhong; Monika Szpunar; Jason Gilliland; Shauna M Burke; Jennifer D Irwin; Stephanie Truelove; Patricia Tucker

doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101549

Parents' attitudes regarding their children's play during COVID-19: Impact of socioeconomic status and urbanicity

SSM Popul Health. 2023 Nov 4:24:101549. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101549. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Leigh M Vanderloo^{1

2}, Kendall Saravanamuttoo³, Matthew Bourke¹, Shiran Zhong⁴, Monika Szpunar³, Jason Gilliland^{4

5

6

7

8}, Shauna M Burke^{5

6}, Jennifer D Irwin⁵, Stephanie Truelove⁹, Patricia Tucker^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, Elborn College, 1201 Western Road, Room 2547, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
² ParticipACTION, 77 Bloor Street West, Suite 1205, Toronto, ON, M5S 1M2, Canada.
³ Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada.
⁴ Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
⁵ School of Health Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6G 1H1, Canada.
⁶ Children's Health Research Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, N6C 2R5, Canada.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
⁸ Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
⁹ Member Interest Groups Section, Professional Development and Practice Support, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Mississauga, ON, L4W 5A4, Canada.

Abstract

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the daily routines of parents and children. This study explored the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and urbanicity on parents' attitudes toward their children's active play opportunities 6 months and 1.5 years into COVID-19.

Methods: A sample of 239 Ontario parents of children aged 12 and younger completed two online surveys (August-December 2020; 2021) to assess parents' intentions, beliefs, and comforts concerning their child's eventual return to play, in addition to various sociodemographic and physical activity variables. Descriptive analyses were run as well as an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to group the 14 attitude items into subscales for analysis, to ensure reliability and validity of attitude measures.

Results: In general, parents in communities with more urban features (e.g., densely populated areas), single-parents, full-time employed parents, and parents with lower-incomes were more hesitant to return their children to active play during the pandemic.

Conclusion: Findings from this work highlight SES and urbanicity disparities that continue to exist during COVID-19.