Abstract
Background: While US data show the majority of children spend at least 2 hours outdoors each day, little Canadian evidence exists. Concerns over safety restrict outdoor play; these can be tied to the built form and social framework. Where a child lives could impact opportunities for outdoor play. Objective: To examine a) time spent playing outdoors across the school week and weekend and its influence on PA and b) whether associations vary by neighbourhood. Methods: Accelerometry data were collected on 856 children (age = 11.1(0.6) years; boys, n=389; girls, n=467) from 16 Toronto schools that differed according to the built environment (BE; street design and era of development) and socioeconomic status (SES). Four neighbourhood classifications were created (old BE, low-SES; old BE, high-SES; new BE, low-SES; new BE, high-SES). Outdoor play was determined via parental survey. Results: The majority of boys and girls spent <2 hours playing outdoors across the school week (>90%) and over the weekend (>65%). Yet those engaged in =2 hours of outdoor play were significantly more active and more likely to meet PA guidelines. For boys outdoor play across the week was positively associated with accelerometer-measured PA; for girls this association was present only for weekend play. Outdoor play time was lower in suburban areas. Conclusions: Playing outdoors is infrequent amongst Toronto children, especially girls, and particularly across the school week and in suburban neighbourhoods.Acknowledgments: This research was funded by the Built Environment, Obesity and Health Strategic Initiative of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).