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Background: A growing body of research has been examining neighborhood environment related to children's physical activity and obesity. However, there is still not enough evidence from Latin America., Objective: To investigate the association of neighborhood and family perceived environments, use of and distance to public open spaces with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and body mass index (BMI) in Argentinean school-aged children., Methods: School-based, cross-sectional study with 1777 children (9 to 11years) and their parents, in Cordoba city during 2011. Children were asked about LTPA and family perceived environment. Parents were asked about neighborhood perceived environment, children's use of public open spaces and distance. Weight and height were measured for BMI. We modeled children's LTPA and BMI z-score with structural equation models with latent variables for built, social and safety neighborhood environments., Results: Parents' perceived neighborhood environment was not related with children's LTPA and BMI. Children's perceived autonomy and family environment were positively associated with LTPA. Use of unstructured open spaces and, indirectly, the distance to these, was associated with LTPA among girls. Greater distance to parks reduced their use by children., Conclusions: Policies to increase children's LTPA should include access to better public open spaces, increasing options for activity. A family approach should be incorporated, reinforcing its role for healthy development., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Chronic conditions (CCs) in the early stages of life may have an impact on various dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children., Objective: To compare HRQoL in children with confirmed CCs, reported CCs, and without CC., Population and Method: Cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 in the context of a larger research study carried out at schools in Córdoba and Bahía Blanca, and at Hospital Italiano of Buenos Aires and Hospital Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan at Buenos Aires. The presence of a chronic condition was established by medical diagnosis at the hospital or as reported by schoolchildren's caregivers. Eight-to-twelve year-old children completed the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire on HRQoL, a pubertal development scale, and a family financial resource scale. The association between CCs and HRQoL adjusted by sex, age, pubertal development, maternal education level, and socioeconomic level was estimated., Results: Six hundred and seventy children/ caregiver dyads participated; 13.3% (n= 89) had confirmed CCs, 14.5% (n= 97) were schoolchildren with reported CCs, and the rest corresponded to healthy schoolchildren. Their average age was 10.2 years old (standard deviation= 1.01); 54.8% were girls. Having a confirmed CC was associated with a higher frequency of low physical wellbeing (odds ratio |-OR-|: 2.61; 95% confidence interval |-95% CI-|:1.43-4.76), while the presence of a reported CC was associated with a low score in psychological well-being (OR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.06-3.63), self-perception (OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.28-3.87), and parent relations (OR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.21-3.44)., Conclusions: Children with confirmed CCs showed a higher frequency of physical discomfort, and those with reported CCs showed discomfort in psychosocial areas compared to children without CCs.

The way neighborhoods are designed can have enormous potential for encouraging physical activity. The aim of this study was to explore the recreational spaces available in peripheral neighborhoods of the city of Cordoba, Argentina, and determine the frequency with which children attending local public primary schools use them for physical activity. In 2011, parents answered self-administered questionnaires in which they reported their proximity to those spaces, the frequency with which children use them for physical activity, the sex of their child and the educational level of the mother. We found that places closer to the home were used more frequently by children for physical activity. Differences by the child's sex and the mother's educational level were observed. The results show the importance of these areas as resources for children's physical activity as well as the social inequalities that exist in access to these spaces.