Behavioral mapping of children's physical activities and social behaviors in an indoor preschool facility: methodological challenges in revealing the influence of space in play

Using Architectural Mapping to Understand Behavior and Space Utilization in a Surgical Waiting Room of a Safety Net Hospital

OBJECTIVE

To use architectural mapping to understand how patients and families utilize the waiting space at an outpatient surgery clinic in a safety-net hospital.

BACKGROUND

The waiting period is an important component of patient experience and satisfaction. Studies have found that patients value privacy, information transparency and comfort. However, approaches common in the architecture field have rarely been used to investigate interactions between patients and the built environment in a safety-net healthcare setting.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational study in a general surgery outpatient clinic at a safety-net hospital and level 1 trauma center. We used a web-based application generated from the design and architecture industry, to quantitatively track waiting space utilization over 2 months.

RESULTS

A total of 728 observations were recorded across 5 variables: time, location, chair selection, person/object, and activity. There were 536 (74%) observations involving people and 179 (25%) involving personal items. People most frequently occupied chairs facing the door (43%, n = 211), and least frequently occupied seats in the hallway (5%, n = 23), regardless of the time of their appointment (p-value = 0.92). Most common activities included interacting with personal phone, gazing into space, and talking face to face. Thirteen percent of people brought mobility devices, and 64% of objects were placed on an adjacent chair, indicating the desire for increased personal space.

CONCLUSION

Architectural behavioral mapping is an effective information gathering tool to help design waiting space improvement in the safety-net healthcare setting.

Relationship Between the Physical Environment and Physical Activity Levels in Preschool Children: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this study was to understand the influence of the physical environment on the physical activity (PA) behavior of preschool children (aged 2 to 6 years), in order to provide an overview of these influences from the perspective of the ecological model.

RECENT FINDINGS

PA is of great importance for the prevention of obesity and cardiovascular diseases since childhood. The physical environment has a direct relationship with the different domains, where people can spend their time being physically active. Nonetheless, despite the importance of the physical environment to engagement in PA, very few reviews have focused on this relationship in the context of the growing problem of physical inactivity among preschool children. Studies that had analyzed the school domain had found that greater availability of a wider variety of portable play equipment, presence of certain fixed playground equipment, and presence of open spaces had favored PA levels. Furthermore, different studies had shown that the natural environment and the presence of hills were important for children's PA. Thus, despite the associations with PA we were able to identify in this review, new studies will still be needed to link the physical environment with PA levels, especially regarding transportation and leisure time. In conclusion, promoting studies on this subject from an early age will allow us to obtain information that could allow the adaptation, design, and construction of healthier homes, neighborhoods, and schools that promote children's health.