SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2025
Associations between parental perceptions of neighbourhood environment and physical activity in children and adolescents: a systematic review including 149 studies.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Changes in US Youth With Neighborhood Built Environment Supports for Physical Activity by Sociodemographic Characteristics, 2016-2017 to 2022-2023.Journal of physical activity & health · 2026Article
- Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and School Engagement in Adolescents Attending Rural and Urban Schools in Southern Spain.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Screening Tool for Portuguese Well-Child Visits.Child: care, health and development · 2026Article
- Association of physical and social neighbourhood environment with movement behaviours among schoolchildren: a compositional data analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Article
- Article
- Rural-urban differences in perceived social and built environments and associations with physical activity among youth in the United States.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- The Relationship of Fatty Food Consumption, History of Disease, and Physical Activity With the Event of Adolescent Obesity in Indonesia.Journal of nutrition and metabolism · 2026Article
- Real-time impacts of air pollution on the health, well-being, and daily life of children and young people in Delhi and Dhaka.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundParental perceptions of the neighbourhood environment can be of particular importance for physical activity of children and adolescents, because parents act as the gatekeepers of their children's behaviour. However, knowledge gaps remain regarding the associations between parental perceptions of neighbourhood environment and physical activity among children and adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review and summarise evidence on the association between parental perceptions of the neighbourhood environment and physical activity among children and adolescents (5 - 17 years of age).
methodsLiterature searches were conducted in: CINAHL, Embase, Environmental Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Transportation Research Information Services, and Web of Science. The associations were coded as: mostly favourable (for 60% - 100% of studies showing a positive association); mostly unfavourable (for 60% - 100% of studies showing a negative association); and mostly non-significant, indeterminate, or inconsistent.
resultsOut of 30,162 records identified in the search, 162 papers from 149 studies were included in the review. The most consistent finding was that a greater distance to school is unfavourably associated with active travel. Evidence of this association was found in children (5/7 associations; pooled sample size in the studies showing significant association [n] = 14,113), adolescents (3/4; n = 2328), and mixed-age group (8/13; n = 5410). There was some consistency in evidence on favourable associations of: (1) access to public transport, good street lighting, and presence of crossing guards with active travel among children; (2) access to sports and recreational facilities, parks and/or playgrounds with sports participation among children; and (3) access to sports and recreational facilities, parks, and/or playgrounds with non-type-specific physical activity among adolescents. Several associations were found in individual studies only, while others were mostly non-significant, indeterminate, or inconsistent. The quality of evidence ranged from very low to low.
conclusionsParental perceptions of traffic safety and access to destinations and services are associated with different types of physical activity among children and adolescents. There is a need for longitudinal and experimental studies, more research among adolescents, more studies from low- and middle-income countries, and exploring a wider range of neighbourhood environment attributes.
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