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Natalie Colabianchi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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features and amenities of school Playgrounds a direct observation study of utilization and physical activity levels outside of school time
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2011Co-Authors: Natalie Colabianchi, Andrea L Maslow, Kamala SwayampakalaAbstract:Background: A significant amount of research has examined whether park or playground availability is associated with physical activity. However, little research has examined whether specific features or amenities of parks or Playgrounds, such as the number of unique types of playground equipment or the safety of the equipment is associated with utilization of the facility or physical activity levels while at the facility. There are no studies that use direct observation and a detailed park assessment to examine these associations. Methods: Twenty urban schoolyards in the Midwest, ten of which were renovated, were included in this study. Using a detailed environmental assessment tool (i.e., Environmental Assessment of Public Recreation Spaces), information on a variety of playground attributes was collected. Using direct observation (i.e., System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth), the number of adults, girls and boys attending each schoolyard and their physical activity levels were recorded. Each schoolyard was observed ten times for 90 minutes each time outside of school hours. Clustered multivariable negative binomial regressions and linear regressions were completed to examine the association between playground attributes and utilization of the schoolyard and the proportion active on the playground, respectively. Effect modification by renovation status was also examined. Results: At renovated schoolyards, the total number of play features was significantly associated with greater utilization in adults and girls; overall cleanliness was significantly associated with less utilization in girls and boys; and coverage/ shade for resting features was significantly associated with greater utilization in adults and boys. At unrenovated schoolyards, overall safety was significantly associated with greater utilization in boys. No playground attribute was associated with the proportion active on the playground after adjusting for all other significant playground attributes. Conclusions: Having a large quantity of play features and shade at renovated Playgrounds were positively associated with utilization of the schoolyard. Modifying Playgrounds to have these features may increase the utilization of these facilities outside of school time. Additional research should explore what features and amenities are associated with increased physical activity levels of children and adults who utilize the facilities.
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utilization and physical activity levels at renovated and unrenovated school Playgrounds
Preventive Medicine, 2009Co-Authors: Natalie Colabianchi, Audrey E Kinsella, Claudia J Coulton, Shirley M MooreAbstract:OBJECTIVE: This study examined utilization and physical activity levels at renovated compared to unrenovated school Playgrounds. METHODS: Ten unrenovated and ten renovated school Playgrounds (renovated at least a year prior) in Cleveland, OH were matched on school and neighborhood characteristics. Using direct observation (SOPLAY), the number of persons attending each playground and their physical activity levels were recorded using separate counts for girls, boys, men and women. Each school was observed ten times for 90 min each time outside of school hours in 2005. Paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests, and regression analyses were completed to examine differences across school pairs. RESULTS: More persons overall including adults and children utilized the renovated Playgrounds compared to the unrenovated Playgrounds. The proportion moderately-to-vigorously active was not different between renovated and unrenovated Playgrounds although the proportion of children, in particular boys, who were vigorously active was greater at the renovated Playgrounds. Although utilization was higher at the renovated Playgrounds, absolute utilization was low across all Playgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that Playgrounds renovations may have the potential to increase the number of children utilizing the playground outside of school hours and may increase the proportion of children, especially boys, who are vigorously active. Language: en
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measuring physical environments of parks and Playgrounds eaprs instrument development and inter rater reliability
Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2006Co-Authors: Brian E Saelens, Hillary L Burdette, Robert C Whitaker, Lawrence D Frank, Christopher Auffrey, Natalie ColabianchiAbstract:Background: Reliable and comprehensive measurement of physical activity settings is needed to examine environment-behavior relations. Methods: Surveyed park professionals (n = 34) and users (n = 29) identified park and playground elements (e.g., trail) and qualities (e.g., condition). Responses guided observational instrument development for environmental assessment of public recreation spaces (EAPRS). Item inter-rater reliability was evaluated following observations in 92 parks and Playgrounds. Instrument revision and further reliability testing were conducted with observations in 21 parks and 20 Playgrounds. Results: EAPRS evaluates trail/path, specific use (e.g., picnic), water-related, amenity (e.g., benches), and play elements, and their qualities. Most EAPRS items had goodexcellent reliability, particularly presence/number items. Reliability improved from the original (n = 1088 items) to revised (n = 646 items) instrument for condition, coverage/shade, and openness/visibility items. Reliability was especially good for play features, but cleanliness items were generally unreliable. Conclusions: The EAPRS instrument provides comprehensive assessment of parks’ and Playgrounds’ physical environment, with generally high reliability.
Brian Saelens E. - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Societal Values and Policies May Curtail Preschool Children's Physical Activity in Child Care Centers.
Pediatrics, 2012Co-Authors: Kristen Copeland A., Susan Sherman N., Cassandra Kendeigh A., Heidi Kalkwarf J., Brian Saelens E.Abstract:Three-fourths of US preschool-age children are in child care centers. Children are primarily sedentary in these settings, and are not meeting recommended levels of physical activity. Our objective was to identify potential barriers to children's physical activity in child care centers. Nine focus groups with 49 child care providers (55% African American) were assembled from 34 centers (inner-city, suburban, Head Start, and Montessori) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three coders independently analyzed verbatim transcripts for themes. Data analysis and interpretation of findings were verified through triangulation of methods. We identified 3 main barriers to children's physical activity in child care: (1) injury concerns, (2) financial, and (3) a focus on "academics." Stricter licensing codes intended to reduce children's injuries on Playgrounds rendered Playgrounds less physically challenging and interesting. In addition, some parents concerned about potential injury, requested staff to restrict playground participation for their children. Small operating margins of most child care centers limited their ability to install abundant playground equipment. Child care providers felt pressure from state mandates and parents to focus on academics at the expense of gross motor play. Because children spend long hours in care and many lack a safe place to play near their home, these barriers may limit children's only opportunity to engage in physical activity. Societal priorities for young children -- safety and school readiness -- may be hindering children's physical development. In designing environments that optimally promote children's health and development, child advocates should think holistically about potential unintended consequences of policies.
Brendon Hyndman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The State of Playgrounds in Australian Schools
Contemporary School Playground Strategies for Healthy Students, 2017Co-Authors: Brendon HyndmanAbstract:Australian school Playgrounds have changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. The Playgrounds and policies of many Australian schools have reduced students’ opportunities for active, creative and diverse play. Significant school playground changes have included the reduction of school break time (i.e. lunch and other recess periods), removal of playground equipment, merging of school facilities which can result to crowded play spaces, and restrictive rules relating to students’ use of school Playgrounds’ grounds that can lead to teachers undertaking playground policing-type roles. In Australia, there is an absence of regulations governing school Playgrounds beyond the national standards for manufacturing playground equipment, and the majority primary school facilities within the state of Victoria are often over 50 years old. The most common school playground features reported have included sporting areas such as basketball courts, netball courts, sandpits, grassed play areas and football ovals. Educators plan, manage and monitor school Playgrounds as they see fit. Within Australian schools, it has been revealed that all educators are allocated to undertake playground supervision during school breaks and the impact of such supervision on students’ play opportunities is little understood. It has been reported in Victoria that educators frequently report playground supervision (e.g. ‘yard duty’) as something they wish to forego. With educators across the teaching profession allocated playground supervision duties on a daily basis, it is important to provide researchers with insight into the state of school Playgrounds prior to any intervention implementation.
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Measurement of Students’ Playground Activity Levels
Contemporary School Playground Strategies for Healthy Students, 2017Co-Authors: Brendon HyndmanAbstract:Accurate measurement of students’ physical activity levels is important to determine the contribution physical activity within school Playgrounds can make towards students meeting recommended daily physical activity guidelines. Assessment of physical activity is also conducted to examine the effectiveness of strategies targeting students’ physical activity within school Playgrounds and to identify psychosocial and environmental factors that can affect students’ physical activity behaviour within school Playgrounds. There are a number of measures that can be used effectively within the school playground context to assess the dimensions (frequency, intensity, duration, activity type) of students’ physical activity including direct observation, accelerometers, pedometers, global positioning systems (GPS) and self-reporting instruments.
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should educators be wrapping school Playgrounds in cotton wool to encourage physical activity exploring primary and secondary students voices from the school playground
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2015Co-Authors: Brendon Hyndman, Amanda TelfordAbstract:Physical activity in school Playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school Playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus group discussions consisted of 54 children (32 primary & 22 secondary; 50% females; 50% males). Social-Ecological Model levels of school playground safety influence identified by both primary and secondary school students included intrapersonal safety influences (risk taking, preventing boredom, misbehaviour); interpersonal safety influences (teacher responsibilities, teacher support, peer support, teacher intimidation and bullying/territorial issues); physical environment safety influences (surfacing, protection from the weather, safe structures, protective equipment, playground space, hydration, school security and passive smoking protection) and policy/organisational safety influences (designated play areas, playground rules, further supervision, maintenance). This research addresses an important gap in the literature by providing useful information for teacher educators of the multiple safety influences on students’ participation in playground physical activity.
Jonathan Richard Sibert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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injuries in public and private Playgrounds the relative contribution of structural equipment and human factors
Acta Paediatrica, 2007Co-Authors: Jonathan Richard Sibert, Eleni Petridou, Xanthi Dedoukou, Ilias Skalkidis, Dimitrios TrichopoulosAbstract:The aim of this case-control study was to identify and quantify risk factors of injuries in Playgrounds, where children spend an increasing amount of time in developed countries. The study took place in Greater Athens during 1999. A continuous Emergency Departments Injury Surveillance System (EDISS) of hospitals that cover about 30% of the children's time at risk in Greater Athens identified 777 injuries in public and private Playgrounds out of a total of 17 497 injuries. Public Playgrounds differ from private ones, because the former generally have more equipment, usually of greater height, with less resilient surfaces, and supervision relies mainly on parents or guardians. Patterns of type of playground use were assessed in a sample of 294 children from the same study base who served as a control group in a hierarchical case-control design. The annual incidence of playground injuries in Greater Athens was about 7 in 1000 among boys and 4 in 1000 among girls, with a 2.2 times higher risk for an injury in public than in private Playgrounds (95% confidence interval 1.61–3.07). Children in public vs private Playgrounds had a statistically significant eight times higher odds for concussion and six times higher for open wounds, whereas the odds for long bone fractures were four and for other fractures two; swings, slides and seesaws were the types of equipment most frequently associated with injuries. It was further shown that supervision of children was suboptimal (>60%) in both public and private Playgrounds, and children in private Playgrounds sustained an unduly high frequency of sprain/ dislocation injuries (odds ratio 1.75) because they were encouraged to play bare-footed. Conclusion: Close to 50% of playground injuries could be prevented by structural and equipment changes, while further reduction could be accomplished through simple measures including closer supervision and encouraging children to wear proper shoes and use protective equipment whenever necessary.
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Playground injuries to children
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2004Co-Authors: C. Norton, J. W. Nixon, Jonathan Richard SibertAbstract:Play value, safety, or both Play for children has never been more important, particularly as we now know how vital exercise is in promoting health and preventing obesity, both in childhood and also into adult life. Play is also important in establishing social patterns of behaviour that allow children to react to their peers. Public Playgrounds form a significant part of the play opportunities for children. It is not surprising therefore that those involved in children’s play have been anxious that Playgrounds are as popular and provide as many challenges as possible. Going along with the drive to make public Playgrounds as interesting as possible, there was also a drive to make them as safe as possible. This started with concern regarding playground injuries and deaths in the 1970s, particularly following an analysis in Sheffield led by the late Cynthia Illingworth.1 This movement led to the introduction of safety features such as impact absorbing surfaces (IAS), changes in equipment entrapment avoidance, height restrictions and guardrails, and changes in materials used in construction of equipment, and design. These changes led to introduction of standards in Britain,2 Europe (EN 1176 and 1177),3 and Australia.4 In the United States, the drive towards safety has been led by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.5 It is not surprising however, that the drive for more children’s play, and the drive for more safety have been seen to be in conflict and perhaps incompatible. This debate has been heightened by a recent review by Ball,6 for the Health and Safety Executive in the UK, suggesting that expensive safety modifications have minimal effect and are not cost effective in terms of reducing injury episodes to children. This article will attempt to answer this dilemma: what evidence is there to suggest that playground …
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preventing injuries in public Playgrounds through partnership between health services and local authority community intervention study
BMJ, 1999Co-Authors: Jonathan Richard Sibert, Alison Mott, R Evans, Kim Rolfe, Alison Mary Kemp, R James, Frank David John DunstanAbstract:Public Playgrounds are important for children's play and development. Safety is a prime concern not only to prevent injuries but also because families need the assurance that it is safe for their children to play.1 One way of improving safety is for health services and local authorities to form a partnership in the surveillance of injuries and the making of improvements. We report the results of such a partnership in Cardiff. 2 3 Children injured in public Playgrounds in Cardiff were identified from the accident and emergency department and linked to the playground, equipment, and surface. We estimated exposure of children to injuries from the numbers of children recorded to be playing in individual Playgrounds by inspectors visiting them at random as part of their work.3 From this information we calculated injury rates per observed child. In June and July 1995 the council made …
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safety of surfaces and equipment for children in Playgrounds
The Lancet, 1997Co-Authors: Alison Mott, R Evans, Kim Rolfe, K W Kemp, Rosie James, Alison Mary Kemp, Frank David John Dunstan, Jonathan Richard SibertAbstract:Summary Background The safety of Playgrounds is important to protect children from injury, but studies are mostly done mainly under laboratory conditions without epidemiological data. We investigated the safety of different playground surfaces, and types and heights of equipment in public Playgrounds in the City of Cardiff, UK. Methods We did a correlational study of 330 children aged between 0 and 14 years. All children were hurt when playing in Playgrounds in Cardiff and presented to the Accident and Emergency Department in Cardiff Royal Infirmary during summer (April to September) 1992 and 1993, and the whole of 1994. We studied the children's hospital records to establish the type of injury and interviewed their parents to find out the playground and type of equipment involved. The main outcome measures were the number of children injured whilst playing, and injury rates per observed number of children on different surfaces, types, and heights of equipment. Findings Children sustained significantly more injuries in Playgrounds with concrete surfaces than in those with bark or rubberised surfaces (p Interpretation Rubber or bark surfacing is associated with a low rate of injuries and we support their use in all public Playgrounds. Bark alone is insufficient, however, to prevent all injuries, particularly arm fractures. Rubberised impact-absorbing surfaces are safer than bark. We believe that playing on monkey bars increases the risk of injury in Playgrounds and that they should generally not be installed. Safety standards should be based on physical and epidemiological data. Our data suggest that the proposed raising of the maximum fall height from 2·5 m to 3·0 m in Europe is worrying.
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patterns of injuries to children on public Playgrounds
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1994Co-Authors: Alison Mott, R Evans, Kim Rolfe, Douglas Potter, K W Kemp, Jonathan Richard SibertAbstract:The incidence and pattern of injuries to children in public Playgrounds presenting to the accident and emergency department were reviewed over two six month summer periods in Cardiff. A total of 178 children (mean age 7.5 years) attended with a playground injury representing 1.1% of all the children attending. One hundred and five children fell from equipment, of which the commonest was the climbing frame; 125 children had playground surface related injuries, 86 on bark and 30 on concrete. The pattern of injuries on the playground surfaces was different: fractures and sprains were more common on bark surfaces and lacerations and abrasions on concrete surfaces. Comparison of total injury rates showed there were fewer injuries on modernised Playgrounds than expected but these differences were not significant. Modernised Playgrounds are more popular, have new exciting equipment, and offer good play opportunities for children. However, the high fracture rate on modernised bark Playgrounds is concerning and requires further research.
Kamala Swayampakala - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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features and amenities of school Playgrounds a direct observation study of utilization and physical activity levels outside of school time
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2011Co-Authors: Natalie Colabianchi, Andrea L Maslow, Kamala SwayampakalaAbstract:Background: A significant amount of research has examined whether park or playground availability is associated with physical activity. However, little research has examined whether specific features or amenities of parks or Playgrounds, such as the number of unique types of playground equipment or the safety of the equipment is associated with utilization of the facility or physical activity levels while at the facility. There are no studies that use direct observation and a detailed park assessment to examine these associations. Methods: Twenty urban schoolyards in the Midwest, ten of which were renovated, were included in this study. Using a detailed environmental assessment tool (i.e., Environmental Assessment of Public Recreation Spaces), information on a variety of playground attributes was collected. Using direct observation (i.e., System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth), the number of adults, girls and boys attending each schoolyard and their physical activity levels were recorded. Each schoolyard was observed ten times for 90 minutes each time outside of school hours. Clustered multivariable negative binomial regressions and linear regressions were completed to examine the association between playground attributes and utilization of the schoolyard and the proportion active on the playground, respectively. Effect modification by renovation status was also examined. Results: At renovated schoolyards, the total number of play features was significantly associated with greater utilization in adults and girls; overall cleanliness was significantly associated with less utilization in girls and boys; and coverage/ shade for resting features was significantly associated with greater utilization in adults and boys. At unrenovated schoolyards, overall safety was significantly associated with greater utilization in boys. No playground attribute was associated with the proportion active on the playground after adjusting for all other significant playground attributes. Conclusions: Having a large quantity of play features and shade at renovated Playgrounds were positively associated with utilization of the schoolyard. Modifying Playgrounds to have these features may increase the utilization of these facilities outside of school time. Additional research should explore what features and amenities are associated with increased physical activity levels of children and adults who utilize the facilities.