What does it take to keep children active when they get home from school? It seems that what your neighborhood offers in terms of parks and playgrounds has a lot to do with it.
In 2004, the parents of 171 nine-year-old children completed a survey about their perceptions of the physical and social neighborhood environment. In both 2004 and 2006, the researchers asked parents about the time their child spent watching television, using the computer and playing electronic games. In parallel, the authors carried out an audit of local public open spaces and objectively measured how sedentary the children were outside school hours.
The more satisfied parents were with the quality of their neighborhood parks and playgrounds, the less time the children spent using computers and electronic games. In addition, the more satisfied parents were in 2004, the less television their children watched in 2006. Children who lived near a large public open space with a water feature, or lived in a cul-de-sac, spent less time in front of a screen at home, whereas those who had a walking path in the park closest to their home spent more time using computers and electronic games.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110221111312.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment