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Purpose: To explore whether parental perceptions of risk and attitudes toward risk-taking during play are associated with preschoolers' physical activity (PA) and physical literacy (PL). Methods: Nova Scotia preschoolers (35 boys, 17 girls; mean age = 3.8 years, range = 3-5 years) and parents (n=52 pairs) provided data. Linear regressions assessed associations of risk perceptions and attitudes with children's PA and PL, controlling for children's age (cross-sectional analysis; p<0.05). Results: Perceptions of risk were significantly associated with preschoolers' PA (r=0.24, p=0.05), and predicted 11.6% of the variance in PA. Findings revealed a significant positive relationship between attitudes toward risky play and PL (r=0.21, p=0.05), explaining 14.7% of the variance in PL. Conclusion: This evidence supports growing literature on the value of risky play to children's development and parents' influence in risk-taking behaviour.

Outdoor play with its risks is necessary for optimal child development. Increasing attention is being paid to factors influencing children's opportunities for risky outdoor play, with parent/guardian (hereafter parent) perceptions being an important, under-researched topic. This research explored parents' perceptions of preschoolers' risky outdoor play. Interviews were held with 19 parents of preschoolers in Nova Scotia, Canada. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model was used to consider levels of influence related to parents' perceptions of risky outdoor play. A qualitative descriptive approach identified key themes from interviews. Microsystem-level factors influencing parents' perceptions included children's age, size, ability to self-assess, and comfort with risk. Mesosystem-level factors were children's companions and supervision during play. Exosystem-level factors included neighborhood location, perceived safety, and house type. Macrosystem and chronosystem-level factors included how parents' perceptions of weather and season affected children's play, and the influences of higher societal expectations of injury avoidance on children's play over time. Findings can be used to inform strategies to promote children's quality outdoor play through understanding the factors influencing parents' perceptions of preschoolers' risky outdoor play.

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.

Free play is important in early childhood and offers physical and mental health benefits. Outdoor play offers opportunity for children to use natural elements and promotes physical activity, among other health benefits, including exploring their environment and taking risks. Risky outdoor play may involve challenges, heights, speed, and the potential for injury, but has been associated with increased physical activity levels, decreased sedentary behaviour, improved mental health, and social benefits. The integration of loose parts, or open-ended, unstructured materials, into play environments, has been associated with positive social behaviours, creativity, and improved problem-solving, confidence, and resilience. As opportunities for risky play in early childhood are determined by adults, including early childhood educators, it is important to understand their perspectives on these types of play. The purpose of this study was to explore early childhood educators' perspectives of risky play, in the context of the Physical Literacy in the Early Years (PLEY) intervention. PLEY was a mixed methods study that aimed to evaluate a loose parts intervention in early childcare settings. This paper used Qualitative Description to explore educators' perspectives. Data were collected from 15 focus groups with early childhood educators. Four themes were identified through thematic analysis. The first explains how risky play with loose parts contributes to evolution in educator perceptions; the second describes how educators' perceptions of risk are connected to institutions and systems; the third illustrates how educators developed strategies to facilitate risky play with loose parts; and the fourth demonstrates how educators perceive risky play as beneficial for children's healthy development. This project highlights societal shifts in play and how loose parts and risky play fit into the ongoing evolution in play, from the perspectives of early childhood educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of age and leg length on the energy-expenditure predictions of five activity monitors. Participants (N = 86, ages 8-40 years) performed three progressive bouts of treadmill activity ranging from 4 to 12 km/hr. Differences between measured energy expenditure (VO2) and activity-monitor-predicted energy expenditure were assessed across five leg length categories to determine the influence of leg length. Accelerometer counts or pedometer steps along with age, weight, and leg length accounted for 85-94% of measured energy expenditure. The addition of age and leg length as predictor variables explained a larger amount of variance in energy expenditure across all speeds. Differences in leg length and age might affect activity-monitor validity and, therefore, should be controlled for when estimating physical activity energy expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active play has become a critical focus in terms of physical activity participation in young children. Unstructured or child-led play offers children the opportunity to interact with the environment in a range of different ways. Unstructured materials, often called loose parts, encourage child-led play, and therefore may also promote physical activity. The purpose of this scoping review was to determine what is currently known about how loose parts may influence physical activity participation. Following a systematic literature search, a total of 16 articles were retrieved, reviewed and categorized according to: (1) types of loose parts; (2) types of play; and (3) types of thinking. We found that there are currently a range of loose parts being used to support play, but the way in which they are implemented varies and there is a lack of clarity around how they might support the development of active outdoor play and physical literacy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unknown whether relationships detected between physical activity intensity and health differ according to accelerometer thresholds used [sample-specific thresholds (SSTs), published thresholds (PTs) or the individualized activity-related time equivalent (ArteACC)]. SSTs were developed through Acti-Graph calibration in 52 boys, aged 8-10 years. The boys subsequently wore an ActiGraph for seven days. SSTs, PTs and ArteACC for moderate (MPA) and vigorous (VPA) activity were applied. Waist circumference (WC), peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and blood pressure were assessed. After applying SSTs, 48.9% of boys achieved 60+ minutes of daily MVPA, compared with 8.5% with PTs and 100% with ArteACC. MPA and VPA were correlated with WC and VO2peak, regardless of whether PTs or SSTs were used (WC: MPA r = -0.37 to -0.43; VO2peak: r = 0.34 to 0.39, p < 0.05). With ArteACC, only VPA was correlated with WC (r = -0.39, p < 0.01) and VO2peak (r = 0.35, p < 0.05). Relationships with blood pressure were statistically non-significant. Although estimates of the quantity of activity differed according to thresholds used, relationships detected with health were consistent regardless of whether SSTs or PTs were employed. There was no advantage of using SSTs or individualized thresholds. Researchers are encouraged to use PTs to ensure greater comparability between studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Physical Literacy in the Early Years (PLEY) intervention is a randomized mixed-methods controlled trial focused on embedding loose parts materials into the outdoor play spaces of regulated child care centres across Nova Scotia. The aim is to evaluate the efficacy of the PLEY intervention versus standard regulated childcare practice in influencing thoughts and behaviors of children, parents, and educators., Methods: Participating early child care centres (n = 19) were randomly assigned to intervention or control sites. Intervention sites received loose parts kits at the beginning of the project while control sites received kits upon project completion. The kits included items such as rocks, tree cookies, balls, wood planks, tubes, tires, ropes, and pulleys. Children (n = 183 at baseline) had their physical activity (accelerometers) and movement skills (TGMD-3 and PGMQ) measured before and after the intervention. All centres provided responses to environmental surveys (Go NAP SACC and Site Context Questionnaire), and educators in intervention sites participated in focus group and photovoice sessions. Educators were also provided with a full day professional development opportunity (plus ongoing mentoring) focused on physical activity, physical literacy, outdoor play, risk-taking, and loose parts. Parents participated in an interview addressing active outdoor play, physical literacy, and attitudes towards risk taking during play., Discussion: This study will provide a better understanding of how integrating loose parts materials into outdoor play spaces impacts children's health, and the impact on educator and parent attitudes, beliefs, and understanding around physical literacy, active outdoor play and risk-taking during play.