The role of greenery for physical activity play at school grounds

Mårtensson, Fredrika; Jansson, Märit; Johansson, Maria; Raustorp, Anders; Kylin, Maria; Boldemann, Cecilia

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2013.10.003

Cited by 59 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…12,16 A previous study pointed out the important role of paved open spaces for PA as children tend to run a lot in many of the traditional schoolyard games including elements of hide and seek and chasing. 19 Our results, showing the lowest level of MVPA counts at paved open spaces, possibly depend on the fact that children with woodland at hand get more inclined to use these rather than the open paved areas. This is in line with Andersen et al 2015, showing that solid surfaces on the schoolyard such as paved areas generate less MVPA than other surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…18 Woodland may serve as an opportunity for boys and girls to be physically active while playing together. 19 Studies of preschool environment show that greenery promotes physical activity in shelter from excessive UVR during free play. 20,21 For preschool outdoor environment, more specific configurations of factors inviting to behaviors that serve multiple health gains have been defined, [21][22][23] factors deemed relevant for school children only to a certain extent.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20,21 For preschool outdoor environment, more specific configurations of factors inviting to behaviors that serve multiple health gains have been defined, [21][22][23] factors deemed relevant for school children only to a certain extent. 19 Impact of season, time outdoors, and amount of free sky upon UV exposure from the sun 5 and impact of area surface upon MVPA 24 have been previously investigated in this study population, but without relating the outcome to play settings. In this study, we investigated the concurrent impact of different school outdoor PSs upon Swedish pupils' sun exposure (UVR) and PA across different ages and seasons during one academic year.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, the greening of sport fields as well as of paved areas and of areas with play equipment is motivated as the presence of trees and other greenery is known to increase the play value and thereby make outdoor settings more attractive for children. rather in early autumn 19,40 when greenery contributes with many affordances. 41 Thus, these studies need to be supplemented with investigations outside the growing season when the surroundings are more plain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pupils' use of school outdoor play settings across seasons and its relation to sun exposure and physical activity

Pagels

Wester

Mårtensson

et al. 2020

Photoderm Photoimm Photomed

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Background Long outdoor stay may cause hazardous exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun even at high latitudes as in Sweden (Spring to Autumn). On the other hand, long outdoor stay is a strong predictor of primary school children´s free mobility involving moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). UV‐protective outdoor environments enable long outdoor stay. We investigated the concurrent impact of different school outdoor play settings upon pupils´ sun exposure and levels of physical activity across different ages, genders, and seasons. Method During 1 week each in September, March, and May, UVR exposure and MVPA were measured in pupils aged 7‐11 years. Erythemally effective UVR exposure was measured by polysulphone film dosimeters and MVPA by accelerometers. Schoolyard play was recorded on maps, and used areas defined as four play settings (fixed play equipment, paved surfaces, sport fields, and green settings), categorized by season and gender. Results During the academic year, sport fields yielded the highest UVR exposures and generated most time in MVPA. In March, time outdoors and minutes in MVPA dropped and UVR exposures were suberythemal at all play settings. In May, green settings and fixed play equipment close to greenery promoted MVPA and protected from solar overexposure during long outdoor stays. Conclusion More outdoor activities in early spring are recommended. In May, greenery attractive for play could protect against overexposure to UVR and stimulate both girls and boys to vigorous play.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Pupils' use of school outdoor play settings across seasons and its relation to sun exposure and physical activity

Pagels

Wester

Mårtensson

et al. 2020

Photoderm Photoimm Photomed

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It is a known fact that school-age children and young people are more interested in physical activity. In this sense, green spaces are known to promote physical activity in the school environment by facilitating open and flexible play conditions (Martensson et al, 2014). Research shows that in outdoor activities students integrate mathematics, science, grammar and other skills with their close environments through their five senses and that they learn better (Şişman and Gültürk, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Schoolyards with Ecological Indicators: Kilis Case, Turkey

Yücekaya

Günaydın

Taşçıoğlu

et al. 2019

Iğdır Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi

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Schoolyards are important components of open-green spaces that shape the physical structure of cities and contribute to citizens from ecological, social and cultural perspectives. These areas are potential educational environments where children and young people can develop their physical, social, emotional and mental skills, and they also act as the key actors to acquire environmental awareness. Designing these areas according to some ecological indicators to have better open-green field qualifications for school gardens in the cities and better relationships with nature is extremely important for contributing to the urban ecosystem and the multifaceted development of the users. The most important indicators are green field ratio, naturalness value of the plants used and vegetation variety. This study examines the open and green areas of 58 schools (8 kindergartens, 36 primary schools, 14 high schools) in Kilis city center within the framework of these indicators. The results show that the amount of open-green areas per person in all schools is below the standard. In the study area, primary schools have the least ratio of green areas and the least amount of green areas per person while high schools have the highest ratio of green spaces. The average naturalness score in all schools is over 60%, but vegetation diversity in schoolyards is insufficient. As a result of the study, it was determined that schoolyards in the city have deficiencies regarding their contribution to urban ecosystem, healthy development of children / young people and establishing relations with nature. So, some suggestions were produced in this context. Okul Bahçelerinin Ekolojik Göstergelere Göre Değerlendirilmesi: Kilis Kenti ÖrneğiÖZET: Hızlı kentleşme ile birlikte değişen yaşam koşulları, kent kullanıcılarını ve aynı zamanda çocukların oyun alanlarını da olumsuz etkilemektedir. Günümüzde artan yapı yoğunluğu, trafik ve kentlerdeki göç alımı ile kentlerde değişen insan profiline bağlı olarak azalan güven duygusu, okul çağındaki çocukların sokak ve çevreyle olan bağlantısını koparmıştır. Ayrıca kentlerde açık ve yeşil alanların azalması nedeniyle çocukların oyun alanları kısıtlanırken, eğitim alanları içerisinde bulunan okul bahçeleri de bu açığı kapatmak amacıyla daha fazla önem kazanmıştır. Çocukların ve gençlerin çevre bilinci kazanma noktasında da önemli aktörlerden biri olan okul bahçelerinin ekolojik bazı göstergelere göre düzenlenmesi son derece önemlidir. Bu göstergelerden en önemlileri; yeşil alan oranları, kullanılan bitkilerin doğallık değerleri ve alanlardaki bitki örtüsü çeşitliliğidir. Çalışmanın amacı Kilis kent merkezinde bulunan okul bahçelerinin söz konusu bu göstergelere göre değerlendirilmesidir. Çalışmada Kilis kent merkezinde yer alan 8 anaokulunun, 36 ilköğretim okulunun ve 14 lisenin açık ve yeşil alanları değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma alanında yeşil alan oranı ve kişi başına düşen yeşil alan miktarının en az olduğu eğitim kurumları ilköğretimler; en fazla olduğu kurumlar ise liseler olarak belirlenmiştir. Tüm okulla...

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