Associations between Park and Playground Availability and Proximity and Children’s Physical Activity and Body Mass Index: The BEACH Study

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds and physical activity (PA). Moreover, the accessibility to parks and playgrounds and its association with active commuting to/from school (ACS) and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. The sample was composed of children aged 6–12 years old from the BEACH (Built Environment and Active CHildren) study in Valencia, Spain. The availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds were calculated at different buffer sizes (250, 500, 1000 and 1250 m) using geographical information system data. PA out of school was assessed using accelerometers. Sociodemographics and ACS were measured with a parent questionnaire. Objectively measured weight and height were used to calculate BMI. Mixed linear regression analyses were conducted for each exposure variable, adjusting for sociodemographics, neighborhood walkability level, and participant clustering. The number of parks and playgrounds were positively associated with moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA (TPA); including light PA and MVPA, during weekdays, in different buffer sizes. A negative relationship between distance to the nearest playground and TPA during weekdays was found. In addition, the number of playgrounds was positively related to ACS in different buffer sizes, whereas park land area was negatively related to the BMI percentile. This study highlights the importance of assessing the availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds in children’s neighborhoods when PA behavior and weight status are analyzed. Study findings may help policymakers when targeting interventions to promote health-enhancing behaviors in children.

Residential Proximity to Urban Play Spaces and Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Barcelona, Spain: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

“…The overall results of residential proximity to play spaces did not explain differences in developing overweight or obesity. This finding contradicts our initial hypothesis (more play spaces, less risk to develop overweight or obesity, especially in deprived areas) but adds to the existing mixed evidence and raised some interesting discussion points [ 21 , 23 , 26 , 30 , 37 , 54 ]. Our results might be explained by different reasons concerning exposure assessment or due to residual confounding linked to household SES, and the urban singularities of the city of Barcelona and its play space distribution.…”

“…In contrast, some others have used the percentage of the buffer around the home that is covered specifically by green spaces, parks, or playgrounds, and have shown beneficial associations between residential play spaces and overweight or obesity [ 15 , 27 , 56 ]. A recent study performed in the city of València (Spain) concluded that park land area was related to reductions in youth BMI percentile [ 54 ]. Our study assessed the exposure to play spaces using a 300 m buffer, since it is a reasonable distance that children can travel autonomously by non-motorized means of transport (e.g., walking or cycling), and because it allowed us to measure proximity to play spaces in a dense city with abundant playing areas such as Barcelona.…”

Associations of home and neighborhood environments with children’s physical activity in the U.S.-based Neighborhood Impact on Kids (NIK) longitudinal cohort study

“…Most notably, informal play spaces close to home were identified as being important for potentially offsetting age-related declines in children's MVPA. This concurs with findings from a study in Spain that reported an inverse association between distance to playgrounds and overall PA among 6-12 year-olds [62]. Having informal play spaces close to home is expected to promote unstructured active play that parents may encourage due to convenience, proximity and opportunities for discreet M Mean, SD Standard deviation, SES Socio-economic status, PA Physical activity, SESMAPS Microscale audit of pedestrian streets caps, MVPA Moderate to vigorous PA, GIS Geographic information system, Land use mix -measured using 'MAPS Destination Land Use (DLU) positive overall' score; Positive AT score -a MAPS subscale measuring positive characteristics of the neighborhood for promoting active transport (AT); Park PA facilities score-measured using the Environmental Assessment of Public Recreational Spaces (EAPRS) audit tool; Play space score was measured using Informal Play Space audit tool; Land use mix -measured using 'MAPS Destination Land Use (DLU) positive overall' score; Residential density -measured using 'MAPS Res_Density_Mix_recode' score Table 2 Results of regression a analyses: effects of environmental attributes on children's physical activity at T1 (using multiple imputations)…”

Derecho al parque y la niñez urbana: falta de justicia espacial en la periferia

“…Diversas investigaciones orientadas a investigar la promoción de la salud por medio de la actividad física de las y los niños, destacan la importancia de la cantidad y la proximidad de los parques en las zonas de viviendas además de la presencia de equipamiento para que las y los niños visiten estos espacios (Molina-García et al, 2022). En ese sentido, se debe considerar que la población infantil se encuentra conformada por grupos de distintas edades, que están en desarrollo y crecimiento, por lo que el diseño de estos espacios debe ser atractivo para cada etapa de la niñez (Flowers et al, 2019).…”