Reading performance of alpine schoolchildren in relationship to physical, social, and perceptual characteristics of the home and school environments

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between the physical, social, and perceptual characteristics of the home and school environments and children's reading performance. A cross-sectional sample of 1251 8-12-year-old schoolchildren from the Tyrol region of Austria and Italy was analyzed. Reading performance was measured based on the number of correctly read sentences in 3 min. Teacher ratings of self-regulation and inattention, child reports of the restorative quality and safety of the residential area, and good family relations, as reported by mothers were also considered. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were obtained from mother questionnaires, and secondhand smoke exposure of the child was measured by cotinine in urine. A built environment score was constructed using imperviousness density, modeled traffic noise, and air pollution. Landscape diversity and natural surroundings around the school, and the presence of a domestic garden represented directly accessible nature. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between these variables. A positive parent-child relationship, higher maternal education, better self-regulation, being female, lower cotinine, and a greater level of school natural land use were associated with better reading performance. These associations were mediated by a combination of factors, including higher neighborhood safety and inattention. There was a positive association between reading and being native German speaker in North Tyrol. Exposure to the built environment and the absence of a domestic garden were also associated with better reading. Understanding local socioeconomic, land use, and cultural patterns can help better explain complex observed associations.