Scoping review of children's and youth's outdoor play publications in Canada

The Associations Between Parental-Reported and Device-Based Measured Outdoor Play and Health Indicators of Physical, Cognitive, and Social-Emotional Development in Preschool-Aged Children

PURPOSE

Examine in preschool-aged children: (1) the associations between parental-reported and device-measured outdoor play (OP) and health indicators of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development and (2) whether associations were independent of outdoor moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 107 participants. Children's OP was measured via a parental questionnaire and the lux feature of accelerometers. Children's growth, adiposity, and motor skills were assessed as physical development indicators. Visual-spatial working memory, response inhibition, and expressive language were assessed as cognitive development indicators. Sociability, prosocial behavior, internalizing, externalizing, and self-regulation were assessed as social-emotional development indicators. Regression models were conducted that adjusted for relevant covariates. Additional models further adjusted for outdoor MVPA.

RESULTS

Parental-reported total OP, OP in summer/fall months, and OP on weekdays were negatively associated (small effect sizes) with response inhibition and working memory. After adjusting for outdoor MVPA, these associations were no longer statistically significant. OP on weekdays was negatively associated with externalizing (B = -0.04; 95% confidence interval, -0.08 to -0.00; P = .03) after adjusting for outdoor MVPA. A similar pattern was observed for device-based measured total OP (B = -0.49; 95% confidence interval, -1.05 to 0.07; P = .09).

CONCLUSIONS

Future research in preschool-aged children should take into account MVPA and contextual factors when examining the association between OP and health-related indicators.

Proportion, Correlates and the Associations of Meeting 24-h Movement Guidelines With Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: A Cross-Sectional Study of 10 589 Chinese Students

BACKGROUND

The increased trends in psychological distress and mental illness have been of great significance in public health concerns. The study aimed to investigate the proportion and correlates of meeting 24-h movement guidelines (including moderate to vigorous physical activity, screen time and sleep duration) and the associations between 24-h movement guidelines met and mental well-being and psychological distress in a large sample of Chinese students.

METHODS

All participants received a physical examination and filled out questionnaires in this study. Chi-square tests were used to analyse the proportion of reaching 24-h guidelines by gender and logistic regression was used to analyse correlates of meeting 24-h guidelines. Two binary logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between meeting 24-h guidelines and mental well-being and psychological distress. The back-propagation artificial neural network was used to describe the importance of the independent variables.

RESULTS

The findings revealed a generally low rate of meeting the 24-h movement guidelines, particularly concerning moderate to vigorous physical activity (16.5%). Meeting all three guidelines was related to better mental health in both boys and girls. Particularly, meeting screen time guideline and meeting sleep duration guideline appeared to be more important on mental outcomes, compared to meeting moderate to vigorous physical activity guideline. Compared with boys, girls were more susceptible to the influences of 24-h movement guidelines on mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

Meeting all three components of the 24-h movement guidelines was associated with the most favourable mental health outcomes for both boys and girls. Thus, maintaining a daily balance of sufficient physical activity, limited screen time, and adequate sleep is crucial for enhancing the mental health status of students.

Exploring the world of active play: A comprehensive review of global surveillance and monitoring of active play based on the global matrix data

A valid assessment tool that measures active play is not yet available due to the sporadic and spontaneous nature of play, as well as the potential differences in how active play is understood and measured across different age groups, cultures, and contexts. The purpose of this review was to identify the scope and gaps in the measurement of active play based on data gathered from 68 countries that participated in the Global Matrix (GM) initiative, led by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (AHKGA). GM is the global-level, biennial evaluation system of physical activity related behaviors among children and youth, including the Active Play indicator, and the sources of influence using letter grades (ranging between "A" and "F"). Based on the identified scope and gaps, this study offers recommendations for future research dedicated to the measurement/surveillance of active play. Out of the 68 countries involved in the previous GM (2014-22), 55% of the grades remained unassigned due to insufficient data on the Active Play indicator. The high number of unassigned grades, combined with the absence of valid measurement tool, highlight a need for a standardized measurement tool for improved global data generation of active play among children and youth. Our findings emphasize the need to address challenges in measuring active play. This review offers future considerations, research recommendations specific to the GM initiative, and two sets of age- and location-specific (indoor and outdoor settings) questionnaire items along with guidelines for its use. Together, these elements provide a roadmap for guiding future research and evaluation efforts on active play.

Scoping review of adult-oriented outdoor play publications in Canada

INTRODUCTION

Since 2015, there has been growing interest in Canada and beyond on the benefits of outdoor play for physical, emotional, social and environmental health, wellbeing and development, for adults as well as children and youth.

METHODS

This scoping review aims to answer the question, "How, and in what context, is adult-oriented outdoor play being studied in Canada?" We conducted an electronic search for peer-reviewed articles on outdoor play published in English or French after September 2015 by authors from Canadian institutions or about Canadian adults. The 224 retrieved articles were organized according to eight priorities: health, well-being and development; outdoor play environments; safety and outdoor play; cross-sectoral connections; equity, diversity and inclusion; professional development; Indigenous Peoples and land-based outdoor play; and COVID-19. We tallied the study designs and measurement methods used.

RESULTS

The most common priority was outdoor play environments; the least common were COVID-19 and Indigenous Peoples and land-based outdoor play. Cross-sectional studies were the most common; no rapid reviews were identified. Sample sizes varied from one auto-ethnographic reflection to 147 000 zoo visitor datapoints. More studies used subjective than objective measurement methods. Environmental health was the most common outcome and mental/emotional development was the least.

CONCLUSION

There has been a staggering amount of articles published on adult-oriented outdoor play in Canada since 2015. Knowledge gaps remain in the relationship between outdoor play and adult mental/emotional development; the connections between environmental health and Indigenous cultures and traditions; and how to balance promoting outdoor unstructured play with protecting and preserving natural spaces.