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Associations between the home yard and preschoolers' outdoor play and physical activity

Guy P Armstrong1, Clover Maitland2, Leanne Lester3

  • 1School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Perth.

Public Health Research & Practice
|April 12, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Home yards with more fixed play equipment encourage more outdoor play for young children. Features like yard size and natural elements also support physical activity, suggesting yards can boost children's activity levels.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Health
  • Childhood Physical Activity

Background:

  • Preschoolers' outdoor play is predominantly in home yards, but yard influences on activity are understudied.
  • Understanding home yard features' impact is crucial for promoting children's physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between home-yard characteristics and preschoolers' outdoor play and physical activity.
  • To identify specific home-yard features that promote physical activity in young children.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional observational study involving 224 preschoolers (aged 2-5 years) and their parents in Perth, Western Australia.
  • Data collected via online questionnaires on home-yard features and parent-reported outdoor play, with accelerometers measuring moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
  • Multiple linear regression models analyzed relationships between yard features and children's outdoor play and MVPA.

Main Results:

  • Yard size, lawn quality, natural features, and play equipment were positively associated with outdoor play.
  • The number of fixed play equipment types was significantly linked to increased daily outdoor play minutes (5.3 min/day per type).
  • Portable play equipment showed a positive association with MVPA, but this effect diminished after accounting for social factors.

Conclusions:

  • Home-yard physical environment features positively correlate with preschoolers' outdoor play and physical activity.
  • The presence of fixed play equipment in home yards is a key factor in increasing children's daily outdoor play time.
  • Home yards represent a significant, potentially modifiable, environment for enhancing young children's physical activity.

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