Search

Green public open spaces (POS) are an important component of healthy, liveable, and sustainable urban environments. Planning policies for POS provision however tend to be evidence-free. A review of Australian state-level POS planning policies and standards was conducted and policy-specific spatial measures generated in GIS. These were linked with health data from the RESIDE survey and relationships examined with weekly walking for recreation and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). To facilitate the development of a comparable national measure of POS provision, the measures were replicated using a national-level dataset on POS and compared using intra-class correlations. Sixteen POS policy standards relating to the location, amount, access, and size of POS were identified. Only one POS standard was associated with a health outcome: RESIDE participants living in suburbs where 95% of residents lived within 400 m of a park had a three-fold increased odds of doing weekly MVPA. The national dataset did not appear to align with the types of POS typically addressed by urban POS planning policies and showed a low level of reliability with the finer-grain state layer (ICCs 0.185–0.312). These findings support existing literature indicating that neighbourhoods with greater access to POS within 400 m are associated with higher odds of physical activity. The current study suggests that not all POS standards are equal, and more research is required to determine whether current planning standards being implemented are achieving their full potential. The development of national evidence-based, policy-relevant POS indicators has the potential to inform future POS planning policies and decisions.

BackgroundIdentification of features of the neighbourhood physical environment that have a causal association with positive child development is important for promoting long-term developmental health. Previous research on these associations have been conducted at the neighbourhood level, and do not account for individual variation in exposure to these features.MethodsThis cross-sectional study utilised de-identified linked administrative data. Neighbourhood features were measured with Geographic Information Systems and identified within a 1600 m service area around the child’s home address. The study population included a random selection of 5024 Western Australian children who participated in the 2012 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC; median age 5 years, 5 months). Multi-level logistic regressions modelled the odds of children scoring in the bottom 10% on the physical, social or emotional AEDC domains as an outcome of neighbourhood features.ResultsAfter adjustment for individual and neighbourhood sociodemographic factors, lower odds of physical vulnerability were associated with increased neighbourhood residential density, presence of railway station, and higher counts of playgroups and kindergartens. Larger areas of neighbourhood home-yard space were associated with increased odds of physical and social vulnerability. Presence of high-quality green spaces was associated with lower odds of social vulnerability. Increased road traffic exposure was associated with higher odds of social and emotional vulnerability.ConclusionsThe neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development. Future research should consider the interplay between the neighbourhood environment and proximal influences, including parenting attributes and socioeconomic status, and how they influence early child development.

Background:Associations between access to environments and levels of physical activity (PA) among adolescents have been established; however the influence of neighborhood design barriers (eg, major roads) on these relationships is less understood.Methods:In 2006, adolescents (n = 1304) in rural Western Australia completed the Up4it Physical Activity Survey measuring frequency and duration of organized and nonorganized physical activity by season. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to objectively measure distance to nearest park and beach and busy road barriers en route to these destinations.Results:Proximity to parks and beaches was associated with use of these environments for PA among adolescents, but this relationship attenuated after adjustment for presence of a major road. Park and beach use was positively associated with achieving recommended levels of PA. Paradoxically, proximity to these environments was not associated with achieving recommended levels of PA. Results suggest access to parks and beaches is necessary but may be insufficient to achieve recommended levels of PA. These relationships varied by season.Conclusions:Strategies should be put in place to encourage use of proximate supportive environments. Planning neighborhoods to reduce barriers to access and interventions to overcome seasonal variations in behavior may improve participation levels among adolescents.

Associations between access to local destinations and children’s independent mobility (IM) were examined. In 2007, 10- to 12-year-olds ( n = 1,480) and their parents ( n = 1,314) completed a survey. Children marked on a map the destinations they walked or cycled to ( n = 1,132), and the availability of local destinations was assessed using Geographic Information Systems. More independently mobile children traveled to local destinations than other children. The odds of IM more than halved in both boys and girls whose parents reported living on a busy road (boys, OR = 0.48; girls, OR = 0.36) and in boys who lived near shopping centers (OR = 0.18) or community services (OR = 0.25). Conversely, the odds of IM more than doubled in girls living in neighborhoods with well-connected low-traffic streets (OR = 2.32) and increased in boys with access to local recreational (OR = 1.67) and retail (OR = 1.42) destinations. Creating safe and accessible places and routes may facilitate children’s IM, partly by shaping parent’s and children’s feelings of safety while enhancing their confidence in the child’s ability to use active modes without an adult.

This study explored children's activity spaces. In 2007, children aged 10-12 years (n=1480) completed a survey and mapping activity, and wore a pedometer for seven days. Their parents completed a survey (n=1314). Over half traveled