ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
We examined the effectiveness of Peaceful Playgrounds™ (P2) to decrease antisocial behaviors (ASB) while increasing physical activity (PA) and prosocial behaviors (PSB) in ...elementary school children.
METHODS
A longitudinal, cluster‐randomized design was employed in 4 elementary school playgrounds where students (third to fifth) from 2 intervention and 2 control schools were observed during recess periods. The intervention included environmental changes (eg, marked surfaces) and student education. Data were collected using systematic observations of youth behavior and semistructured interviews conducted with key informants. Mixed‐effects regression models controlling for scans nested within days nested within schools estimated the interaction of measurement period and treatment condition on children's PA, PSB, and ASB. It was hypothesized that children in intervention, but not control schools, would demonstrate increased PA/PSB and decreased ASB.
RESULTS
Contrary to the hypotheses, intervention and control schools showed favorable changes for all dependent variables except for PSB, but 1 intervention and 1 control school drove these effects. Follow‐up interviews indicated variability in implementation and lack of adherence to the control condition.
CONCLUSIONS
P2 may promote increased PA during recess, but these results demonstrate the complexity of intervention implementation and the need for rigor when measuring intervention fidelity in real‐world settings.
Aims
To describe the epidemiological profile and cost of hospitalised injuries caused by playground equipment falls of children aged 0–14 years, in New South Wales, Australia.
Methods
Linked New ...South Wales hospitalisation data from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2014 were used to describe the incidence of hospitalisation for playground falls, the age‐standardised rate of hospitalisation per year, age group and gender, the characteristics of the injured children and the injury incident. Health outcomes, such as length of stay in hospital, and the hospital costs associated with the injuries were examined by age group. Negative binomial regression assessed the trend in hospitalisation rates over time.
Results
There were 7795 hospitalisations of children for playground fall injuries. The highest hospitalisation rate was for the 5–9 year olds (220.7 per 100 000 population) and was higher in males than females (234.2 and 206.3 per 100 000 population, respectively). The majority of these injuries occurred in schools (17.1%) and homes (14.6%), and were as a result of falls from trampolines (34.3%) and climbing apparatuses (28.2%). Over half the playground falls led to fractures of the elbow and wrist (54.7%). The total hospital cost of playground fall‐related injuries was $18 million.
Conclusion
Rates of hospitalisation of children for playground fall injuries remain high despite implementation of national playground safety standards in Australia. This research highlights where interventions should be targeted to reduce the incidence and burden of injuries following falls from playground equipment.
The physical and social environment of children in cities is continuously changing. Knowledge about the positive effects of natural play experiences within the child's development is becoming widely ...known. Affordances of diverse landscape elements and especially loose parts for play in natural environments influence play activities. New concepts of natural playgrounds emerge and call for more research in this field. We conducted a comparative study on differently designed playgrounds (contemporary, naturally structured) in Bremen, Germany. The aim of the study was to further explore how diverse play environments afford different forms of play in kindergarten children aged between five and six years. Results show differences in number and duration of play episodes as well as in the occurrence of different categories of play. Existing observational instruments need improvement to adequately evaluate the impact of new playground concepts on early childhood activities.
Educational video games are hypothesized to be good environments for promoting learning; however, research on conceptual learning from games is mixed. We tested whether embedding a learning support ...in the form of short animations illustrating physics concepts that can be used to aid gameplay improved learning. Ninety-six 7th to 11th grade students were randomly assigned to play Physics Playground with or without the learning supports over a 4-day period. Results indicate that students who played a version of the game with embedded learning supports showed more improvement on a far- (d = 0.36), but not on a near-transfer physics assessment (d = 0.17) compared to those who played without the supports. The learning supports did not affect students’ enjoyment with the game. We conclude that the game-embedded animations were effective at promoting conceptual learning without sacrificing the fun of game-based learning.
•Studies show learning supports (LS) can improve educational game outcomes, but can hurt enjoyment.•We tested an embedded LS in a Physics game with secondary school students.•LS group had greater far transfer on a posttest than active controls.•Overall gain and far transfer gain correlated with duration of exposure to supports.•LS group did not report less enjoyment than the active control group.
Background Preschool children are not meeting recommended levels of physical activity (PA) nor are they proficient in fundamental motor skills (FMS), which are the foundation for PA. As such, ...interventions are needed to increase PA and FMS in young children. This trial examined the effects of an environmental ("painted playgrounds") and capacity-building (written toolkit) intervention on child FMS, PA, and sedentary behavior at early childhood education (ECE) centers and examined feasibility. Methods In a randomized controlled trial, four ECE centers were randomly assigned to an intervention group or wait-list control. For intervention centers, stencils were spray painted adjacent to playgrounds and teachers were provided material for using stencils for FMS practice. Follow-up assessments were conducted six to eight weeks after baseline. Time spent in PA and sedentary behavior was assessed via accelerometry and FMS were evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) at baseline and follow-up. A repeated measures linear model was performed to test the effects of the painted playgrounds on the primary outcomes of interest. Feasibility was measured by stencil engagement via direct observation and satisfaction surveys. Results A total of 51 preschoolers completed baseline assessments (4.3+ or -0.6 years; 43.1% male). There were no significant changes in PA or sedentary behavior (all confidence intervals contain 0) between control and intervention groups. Intervention children significantly improved ball skill, locomotor, and overall TGMD-3 percentile scores at follow-up (all (all confidence intervals contain 0), which was not observed in control group. However, there was no significant change in FMS between the control and intervention groups (confidence intervals contain 0). For stencil use, boys and girls interacted with different stencils during their free play. Directors and teachers reported children incorporated academic concepts and initiated games, and teachers prompted more PA opportunities on the playground. Conclusions This intervention did not show statistically significant changes in children's PA, FMS, or sedentary behavior compared to a control group; however, small FMS improvements for the intervention group were found from baseline to follow-up. Further work should examine intervention fidelity as well as inexpensive supplies, teacher training, or other strategies to increase preschool children's PA and improve FMS at ECE centers. Keywords: Children, Exercise, Preschool, Early childhood, Playground
The (pre)school environment is an important setting to improve children’s health. Especially, the (pre)school playground provides a major opportunity to intervene. This review presents an overview of ...the existing evidence on the value of both school and preschool playgrounds on children’s health in terms of physical activity, cognitive and social outcomes. In addition, we aimed to identify which playground characteristics are the strongest correlates of beneficial effects and for which subgroups of children effects are most distinct. In total, 13 experimental and 17 observational studies have been summarized of which 10 (77%) and 16 (94%) demonstrated moderate to high methodological quality, respectively. Nearly all experimental studies (n = 11) evaluated intervention effects on time spent in different levels of physical activity during recess. Research on the effects of (pre)school playgrounds on cognitive and social outcomes is scarce (n = 2). The experimental studies generated moderate evidence for an effect of the provision of play equipment, inconclusive evidence for an effect of the use of playground markings, allocating play space and for multi-component interventions, and no evidence for an effect of decreasing playground density, the promotion of physical activity by staff and increasing recess duration on children’s health. In line with this, observational studies showed positive associations between play equipment and children’s physical activity level. In contrast to experimental studies, significant associations were also found between children’s physical activity and a decreased playground density and increased recess duration. To confirm the findings of this review, researchers are advised to conduct more experimental studies with a randomized controlled design and to incorporate the assessment of implementation strategies and process evaluations to reveal which intervention strategies and playground characteristics are most effective.
Little is known about the social behavior of children with and without autism spectrum disorder during recess. This study documented the naturally occurring recess engagement and peer interaction ...behaviors of children with and without autism spectrum disorder in inclusive school settings. Participants included 51 children with autism spectrum disorder and 51 classmates without autism spectrum disorder who served as peer models matched on gender, classroom, grade, age, and ethnicity. Using a timed-interval behavior-coding system, children with autism spectrum disorder spent approximately 30% of their recess time engaged in solitary activities, whereas their classmates only spent approximately 9% of recess unengaged. In addition, children with autism spectrum disorder spent about 40% of the recess period jointly engaged with peers in a reciprocal activity, conversation, or game as compared to 70% for matched classmates. These findings provide a context for which to interpret intervention outcomes and gains for children with autism spectrum disorder in inclusive settings.
Risky play is defined as thrilling and challenging forms of play that have the potential for physical injury and has been linked to development and health benefits for children in the early years. ...These benefits include risk-assessment skills, increased physical activity and well-being, and promoting social competencies and resilience. Currently, in a Western context, children's opportunities for risky play are decreasing and at the same time, childhood inactivity and coinciding health concerns are on the rise. Risky play may help ameliorate some current health problems for children. This research aimed to increase understanding of how children use affordances (environmental factors that intersect with and influence human behaviours) for risky play. Physical environmental factors have been found to influence children's affordances for all play, including risky play. The study employed a deductive analysis of participant-observer field notes and focused-video observations in order to identify how children utilize indoor and outdoor environmental features for risky play. Data was interpreted through Gibson's theory of affordances and was then fit to established taxonomies of environments for children's risky play. Research was conducted with children, ages 3-4 years, at a kindergarten in Norway. Findings identified environmental affordances for risky play that were actualized by children in this study. We propose that findings from this study may be useful in considering the physical design of early childhood education play spaces.
Social connectedness at school is crucial to children's development, yet very little is known about the way it has been affected by school closures during COVID-19 pandemic. We compared pre-post ...lockdown levels of social connectedness at a school playground in forty-three primary school-aged children, using wearable sensors, observations, peer nominations and self-reports. Upon school reopening, findings from sensors and peer nominations indicated increases in children's interaction time, network diversity and network centrality. Group observations indicated a decrease in no-play social interactions and an increase in children's involvement in social play. Explorative analyses did not reveal relations between changes in peer connectedness and pre-lockdown levels of peer connectedness or social contact during the lockdown period. Findings pointed at the role of recess in contributing to children's social well-being and the importance of attending to their social needs upon reopening.
•This case-study is the first to compare social connectedness at the schoolyard from before to after COVID-19 lockdown•Sensors, observations and nominations indicated increases in interaction time, social play, network diversity and closeness.•Changes in peer connectedness were not related to pre/during-lockdown connectivity, yet this issue merits further research.•School scheduling should take into account children's social needs upon reopening.
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