Systematic review of the correlates of outdoor play and time among children aged 3-12 years.
Eun-Young LeeAjaypal BainsStephen HunterAlyssa AmentJavier Brazo-SayaveraValerie CarsonShawn HakimiWendy Y HuangIan JanssenMikyung LeeHeejun LimDiego Augusto Santos SilvaMark S TremblayPublished in: The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity (2021)
Individual, parental, and proximal physical (home) and social environments appear to play a role in children's outdoor play and time. Ecological factors (i.e., seasonality, rurality) also appear to be related to outdoor play/time. Evidence was either inconsistent or lacking at institutional and macrosystem/community levels. Standardizing terminology and measures of outdoor play/time is warranted. Future work should investigate the interactions and processes of multiple variables across different levels of socioecological modelling to better understand the mechanisms through which outdoor play/time opportunities can be optimized for children while paying special attention to varying conditions in which children are born, live, and play.