Paving the Way for Outdoor Play: Examining Socio-Environmental Barriers to Community-Based Play in Middle Childhood

Janet Loebach (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
Tara Elton-Marshall (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)

Western children’s time and freedom to play outdoors has plummeted in recent decades, limited by a number of socio-cultural factors such as changes in family commuting patterns, children’s increased engagement in structured activities, decreased independent mobility levels, as well as higher prevalence of digital media activity. This decline in outdoor play has been linked to increases in psychopathologies among children and youth, including anxiety and depression (Gray, 2011). A recent systematic review confirms that time spent playing outdoors and in nature has significant benefits for children’s physical health, mental health and well-being, and social and cognitive development (Gilliland et al, 2016). Understanding the social and environmental barriers influencing children’s outdoor play, particularly those which may be amenable to change, is key to directing effective interventions and policy shifts. This paper will present findings from a study of the outdoor play habits and perceptions of Canadian children aged 9 to 13 years to isolate the key determinants restricting their time and activities outdoors. A series of child and parent focus groups were used to examine prominent barriers and facilitators, and to guide survey development. A comprehensive survey was then delivered to over 1000 children and 900 caregivers to capture outdoor play patterns and perceptions, as well as data on children’s health, attitudes towards outdoor play and perceptions of the neighbourhood environment. This paper will present findings which highlight the social and environmental influences on participating children’s outdoor play activities, as well as connections between outdoor play and child physical and mental health.