Abstract
Background: Because parents are important gatekeepers of children’s activities, the purpose of this study was to determine if parents’ perceptions of the neighbourhood environment influence the amount of physical activity (PA) and screen time their children engage. Methods: Between 2009 and 2011, 669 children aged 6- to 10-years participated in wave 2 of a longitudinal cohort study in Edmonton, Alberta. The children wore SC-T2 pedometers for 4 consecutive days (minimum of 3 valid days) and parents reported their child’s PA and screen-time. Parents also completed the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale – Abbreviated (NEWS-A), which assesses perceptions of the neighbourhood environment (e.g., residential density, land-use mix, aesthetics, crime, parking, cul-de-sacs). Multivariate linear regressions were run, controlling for socio-demographic variables. Results: Diversity of land-use mix was positively associated with total steps (B = 574.61, p < .01) and weekday steps (B = 614.07, p < .01), while lack of parking was positively associated with weekend day steps (B = 625.79, p < .05). Having a greater number of cul-de-sacs was positively associated with reported weekend activity (B = 14.15, p < .05). Aesthetics was negatively associated with total, weekday, and weekend day screen time (B = -106.09, p < .01; B = -60.64, p < .05; B = -44.52, p < .01; respectively). Conclusion: Parents’ perceptions of their neighbourhood, including destinations to walk to, a lack of parking and a greater amount of cul-de-sacs, may encourage children to engage in more PA. Further, the perceived aesthetics of the environment may discourage screen time.Acknowledgments: This research was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.