The relationship between parental perception of child friendliness in neighborhoods and children's physical activity

A child-friendly neighborhood environment is important for children's physical activity, which is declining internationally. The extent to which the neighborhood environment is (perceived to be by parents) child-friendly may relate to children's independent mobility and children's physical activities. Parental perception of child friendliness (PPCF) in neighborhoods includes five dimensions: to be safe, to move freely, have access to basic services (education, transportation, health, recreation), have access to green space and to meet friends. The interrelationships between different types of physical activities are also not clear. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the relationships between parental perception of child friendliness in neighborhoods, different types of physical activities and independent mobility permissions and the interrelationships of physical activities. Survey data was collected from 309 parents with children in the age of 7–12 year olds in the Netherlands. Structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze the supposed relationships. The results show that if the neighborhood environment is perceived as more child-friendly, parents are more likely to give their children permission to travel and play independently, which in turn leads to more physical activity. Complementarity relationships exist between children's active travel and outdoor play.