Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34266397›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2021

Backyard benefits? A cross-sectional study of yard size and greenness and children's physical activity and outdoor play.

Jessica Oakley, Rachel L Peters, Melissa Wake, Anneke C Grobler, Jessica A Kerr, Kate Lycett, Raisa Cassim, Melissa Russell, Cong Sun, Mimi L K Tang and 2 more

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Jessica OakleyMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Rachel L PetersMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Melissa WakeMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Anneke C GroblerMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Jessica A KerrMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Kate LycettMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Raisa CassimMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Melissa RussellMelbourne School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
Cong SunMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Mimi L K TangMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Jennifer J KoplinMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Suzanne MavoaMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia. suzanne.mavoa@unimelb.edu.au.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe home environment is the most important location in young children's lives, yet few studies have examined the relationship between the outdoor home environment and child physical activity levels, and even fewer have used objectively measured exposures and outcomes. This study examined relationships between objectively assessed home yard size and greenness, and child physical activity and outdoor play.

methodsData were drawn from the HealthNuts study, a longitudinal study of 5276 children in Melbourne, Australia. We used cross-sectional data from a sample at Wave 3 (2013-2016) when participants were aged 6 years (n = 1648). A sub-sample of 391 children had valid accelerometer data collected from Tri-axial GENEActive accelerometers worn on their non-dominant wrist for 8 consecutive days. Yard area and greenness were calculated using geographic information systems. Objective outcome measures were minutes/day in sedentary, light, and moderate-vigorous physical activity (weekday and weekend separately). Parent-reported outcome measures were minutes/day playing outdoors (weekend and weekday combined). Multi-level regression models (adjusted for child's sex, mother's age at the birth of child, neighbourhood socioeconomic index, maternal education, and maternal ethnicity) estimated effects of yard size and greenness on physical activity.

resultsData were available on outdoor play for 1648 children and usable accelerometer data for 391. Associations between yard size/greenness and components of physical activity were minimal. For example, during weekdays, yard size was not associated with daily minutes in sedentary behaviour (β: 2.4, 95% CI: - 6.2, 11.0), light physical activity (β: 1.4, 95% CI: - 5.7, 8.5) or MVPA (β: -2.4, 95% CI: - 6.5, 1.7), with similar patterns at weekends. There was no relationship between median annual yard greenness and physical activity or play.

conclusionIn our study of young children residing in higher socio-economic areas of Melbourne yard characteristics did not appear to have a major impact on children's physical activity. Larger studies with greater variation in yard characteristics and identification of activity location are needed to better understand the importance of home outdoor spaces and guide sustainable city planning.

Indexed as

AccelerometryExerciseAustraliaChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesHumansLongitudinal StudiesBuilt environmentChildrenGreennessPhysical activity, outdoor playYard

Identifiers

PMID34266397
PMCPMC8283889

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.