Children's Physical Activity and Space Availability
Author Information
Author(s): Ann Kuhn, Yan Wang, Rachel Deitch, Amy Zemanick, Genevieve Dunton, Lindsey Turner, Erin R. Hager
Primary Institution: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Hypothesis
The study hypothesized that among individual children, during moments where space for physical activity is available, there will be higher reported accessibility of physical activity opportunities.
Conclusion
The study found that availability of space for physical activity is associated with children's accessibility to physical activity opportunities, with locale moderating this relationship.
Supporting Evidence
- Children with more space available for physical activity had nine times greater odds of having accessible opportunities.
- Locale moderated the relationship between space availability and accessibility, with urban children reporting space but less access.
Takeaway
The more space kids have to play, the more likely they are to find places to be active, but this can be different depending on where they live.
Methodology
The study used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to collect data from 608 students over seven days, assessing their perceived availability of physical activity space and accessibility of opportunities.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to low response rates and lack of incentives for completing EMA prompts.
Limitations
The EMA response rate was low, and the questions did not include detailed contextual information.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged 9-15 years, with a mean age of 10.88 years; 59% were female, and 79.3% were of a non-white race/ethnicity.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 7.87–12.25 for within-person effects; 95% CI: 12.99–39.35 for between-person effects.
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website