Search

This article explores the relationship of neighborhood landscape characteristics on outdoor play for children living in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a nation-wide online survey that reported changes in outdoor activities in and analyzed responses in relation to landscape affordances that facilitate outdoor play. Results show that living in areas with more landscape structures and higher population density is associated with greater declines in outdoor activities, and children who used neighborhood trails were more likely to show an increase in outdoor activities during the first wave of COVID-19. This indicates that landscape characteristics may support children’s physical activity when playgrounds are closed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who walk or cycle for school transportation tend to be more physically active overall than those who use other travel modes. (1) Policy and program initiatives in North America [...], Objective: Climatic conditions may enable or deter active school transportation in many North American cities, but the topic remains largely overlooked in the existing literature. This study explores the effect of seasonal climate (i.e., fall versus winter) and weekly weather conditions (i.e., temperature, precipitation) on active travelling to school across different built and policy environments. Methods: Home-to-school trips by 11-12-year-old children in the City of Toronto were examined using data from the 2006 Transportation Tomorrow Survey. Binomial logistic regressions were estimated to explore the correlates of the choice of active (i.e., walking) versus non-active (i.e., private automobile, transit and school bus) mode for school trips. Results: Climate and weather-related variables were not associated with choice of school travel mode. Children living within the sidewalk snow-plough zone (i.e., in the inner-suburban neighbourhoods) were less likely to walk to school than children living outside of the zone (i.e., in the inner-city neighbourhoods). Conclusion: Given that seasonality and short-term weather conditions appear not to limit active school transportation in general, built environment interventions designed to facilitate active travel could have benefits that spill over across the entire year rather than being limited to a particular season. Educational campaigns with strategies for making the trip fun and ensuring that the appropriate clothing choices are made are also warranted in complementing built environment modifications. Key words: Climate; weather; school travel; walking; built environment Objectif : Les conditions climatiques pourraient favoriser ou entraver le transport scolaire actif dans de nombreuses villes d'Amerique du Nord, mais ce sujet est en grande partie inexplore dans la recherche existante. Notre etude porte sur l'effet du climat saisonnier (p. ex., automnal ou hivernal) et des conditions atmospheriques hebdomadaires (temperature, precipitations) sur le transport scolaire actif dans differents milieux batis et environnements politiques. Methode : Nous avons examine les trajets de la maison a l'ecole d'enfants de 11 et 12 ans vivant a Toronto a l'aide des donnees du Sondage pour le systeme de transports de demain de 2006. Des regressions logistiques binomiales ont ete estimees pour explorer les correlats du choix d'un mode de transport actif (comme la marche) ou non actif (voiture privee, transports en commun, autobus scolaire) pour se rendre a l'ecole. Resultats : Les variables liees au climat et a la meteo n'etaient pas associees au choix du mode de transport scolaire. Les enfants vivant a l'interieur de la zone de deneigement des trottoirs (c.-a-d. dans les quartiers de la proche banlieue) etaient moins susceptibles de se rendre a l'ecole en marchant que les enfants vivant hors de cette zone (c.-a-d. dans les quartiers du centre-ville). Conclusion : Etant donne que les cycles saisonniers et les conditions atmospheriques de courte duree ne semblent pas limiter le transport scolaire actif en general, les interventions sur le milieu bati concues pour faciliter les deplacements actifs pourraient avoir des repercussions positives toute l'annee plutot que de se limiter a une saison particuliere. On devrait aussi envisager, pour completer des modifications au milieu bati, des campagnes de sensibilisation comportant des strategies pour rendre le trajet amusant et pour aider les enfants a choisir des vetements appropries. Mots cles : climat; temps; transport scolaire; marche; milieu bati

The built environment consists of the buildings, roads and planned open spaces in which people live, work and perform other daily activities (e.g., study, eat, socialize and play). The physical [...], Objective: A child's opportunity for physical activity and the safety of engaging in activity are influenced by built environment (BE) elements. This study examined the relationship of neighbourhood type and socio-economic status (SES) with activity using a sampling frame that purposely located schools in varying neighbourhoods to ensure that there was variability in BE characteristics and SES. Methods: Participants (1,027 Grade 5 & 6 students, Toronto, ON) were drawn from 16 schools that varied by neighbourhood type (pre-1946 'old/urban BE' with grid-based street layout versus post-1946 'new/inner-suburban BE' with looping street layout) and socio-economic status (low and high SES). Physical activity was recorded by accelerometry for seven days. Only children living within 1.6 km of school were included in the analyses (n=713; boys=339, girls=374). Generalized linear mixed models examined sex-specific differences in physical activity across four geographic stratifications: old BE, low-SES (OL); old BE, high-SES (OH); new BE, low-SES (NL); and new BE, high-SES (NH). Results: Children who attended schools in more affluent neighbourhoods (urban and inner-suburban) had more positive physical activity profiles. Across school days, boys were more active in inner-suburban neighbourhoods whereas urban and inner-suburban girls' activity levels were similar. On the weekend, the influence of the neighbourhood environment was stronger, especially for girls and also for boys with respect to total activity and the accumulation of moderate- to-vigorous physical activity. Conclusion: These findings focus attention on the need to consider the broader social and temporal contexts of specific geographic locations when planning and implementing built environment interventions to increase physical activity among children. Key words: Accelerometer; child; built environment; physical activity Objectif: Les occasions pour un enfant de faire de l'activite physique et la possibilite de le faire en toute securite sont influencees par les elements du milieu bati (MB). Notre etude porte sur la relation entre le type de quartier, le statut socioeconomique (SSE) et l'activite; la base d'echantillonnage utilisee contenait volontairement des ecoles de divers quartiers pour assurer la variabilite des caracteristiques du MB et du SSE. Methode: Les participants (1 027 eleves de 5e et de 6e annee a Toronto, en Ontario) ont ete choisis dans 16 ecoles qui variaient selon le type de quartier (<< MB ancien/urbain >> d'avant 1946 avec rues quadrillees ou <> d'apres 1946 avec rues en boucles) et le statut socioeconomique (SSE faible ou eleve). L'activite physique a ete enregistree par accelerometrie pendant sept jours. Seuls les enfants vivant a moins de 1,6 km de l'ecole ont ete inclus dans l'analyse (n=713; garcons=339, filles=374). Au moyen de modeles lineaires mixtes generalises, nous avons examine les differences par sexe dans l'activite physique entre quatre stratifications geographiques : MB ancien, faible SSE; MB ancien, SSE eleve; MB nouveau, faible SSE; et MB nouveau, SSE eleve. Resultats: Les enfants qui frequentaient les ecoles des quartiers aises (urbains et de la proche banlieue) avaient des profils d'activite physique plus positifs. Les jours d'ecole, les garcons des quartiers de la proche banlieue etaient plus actifs, tandis que les niveaux d'activite des filles etaient semblables en milieu urbain et dans la proche banlieue. Les fins de semaine, l'influence de l'environnement du quartier etait plus forte, surtout chez les filles, mais aussi chez les garcons en ce qui a trait a l'activite totale et a l'accumulation d'activite physique moderee a vigoureuse. Conclusion: Ces resultats montrent qu'il faut examiner le contexte social et temporel des lieux geographiques lorsqu'on planifie et que l'on met en oeuvre des interventions sur le milieu bati pour accroitre l'activite physique chez les enfants. Mots cles: accelerometre; enfant; milieu bati; activite physique La traduction du resume se trouve a la fin de l'article. Can J Public Health 2012;103(Suppl. 3):S9-S14.