Physical Activity and Outdoor Play of Children in Public Playgrounds—Do Gender and Social Environment Matter?

Abstract

Background: Few studies have delved into the relationship of the social environment with children’s physical activity and outdoor play in public playgrounds by considering gender differences. The aim of the present study was to examine gender differences and the relationship of the social environment with children’s physical activity and outdoor play in public playgrounds. Methods: A quantitative, observational study was conducted at ten playgrounds in one district of a middle-sized town in Germany. The social environment, physical activity levels, and outdoor play were measured using a modified version of the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth. Results: In total, 266 observations of children (117 girls/149 boys) between four and 12 years old were used in this analysis. Significant gender differences were found in relation to activity types, but not in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The presence of active children was the main explanatory variable for MVPA. In the models stratified by gender, the presence of opposite-sex children was a significant negative predictor of MVPA in girls but not in boys. Conclusions: The presence of active children contributes to children’s physical activity levels in public playgrounds. Girls’ physical activity seems to be suppressed in the presence of boys.

Physical activity practice and sports preferences in a group of Spanish schoolchildren depending on sex and parental care: a gender perspective

“…Sports segregation according to gender roles may be related to the fear of being judged or bullied if gender norms are not conformed to [37,48]. In fact, various articles have shown that girls are more likely to engage in team sports when other girls are playing but not when boys are playing, because boys may exclude girls when they try to participate in sports in which girls are not socially considered good enough [49][50][51].…”

Enhancing Multimodal Learning Through Traditional Sporting Games: Marro360°

“…Therefore, the effect of two independent variables from the game were studied: the score and the subroles associated with the Hunter and Hare roles on the dependent variables represented by Marro360 • strategic chains. Each of these chains was simultaneously integrated by the type of response according to the decision risk (risk in the decision), the relationship, and the energy intensity (Reimers et al, 2018). It is unavoidable to mention that the methodological approach used by the present study became feasible, since the integration of different variables (dynamic score, role, subrole, relation, decision risk, energy) was addressed.…”

Objectively Measured Physical Activity Patterns in Children with Overweight and (Morbid) Obesity Across Different Weight Categories, Age Groups and Gender

“…The higher level of total PA in boys could be explained by a higher intrinsic motivation and experiencing more pleasure from exercise compared to girls (31). Furthermore, previous studies found gender differences concerning different PA types (32,33). The results of the study of Reimers et al (2018) showed that boys were more likely to engage in sports and active games, while girls prefer walking and/running or to play in a playground (33).…”

“…Furthermore, previous studies found gender differences concerning different PA types (32,33). The results of the study of Reimers et al (2018) showed that boys were more likely to engage in sports and active games, while girls prefer walking and/running or to play in a playground (33). It is recommended to provide tailored PA types in order to stimulate and improve PA. Additionally, the negative association between PA and age highlights the importance of early PA promotion since the presence of comorbidities is already evident in primary school children with obesity (34).…”