Correlates of changes in children's independent mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Canadian national longitudinal study

Children's independent mobility (CIM) is linked to higher physical activity in cross-sectional research, but longitudinal assessments of correlates of changes in CIM are lacking. We investigated social-ecological correlates of changes in CIM during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they differ by gender. Every six months between December 2020 and 2021, we surveyed Canadian parents of 7- to 12-year-olds ( n = 2291) to assess mobility licenses (children's permission to do certain activities independently). We used linear regression models adjusted for child age, gender, and household income. Average CIM increased (0.65 ± 1.30 licenses) throughout the follow-up period. Boys experienced a smaller increase in CIM than girls (β: -0.60; 95%CI: −1.13, −0.06). Child age (β: 0.08; 95%CI: 0.03, 0.14) and each unit increase in the parental Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale (β: 0.02; 95%CI: 0.00, 0.04) were associated with increased CIM whereas parental crime safety concerns (β: -0.19; 95%CI: −0.37, −0.02) were negatively associated. Compared to children whose parents worked full-time, other children experienced smaller increases in CIM (β: -0.40; 95%CI: −0.74, −0.06). Child gender interacted with parent employment: boys whose parent did not work full-time had a greater increase in CIM (β: 0.52; 95%CI: 0.08, 0.95). In gender-stratified models, boys with a disability (β: 0.49; 95%CI: 0.08, 0.89) and from middle- vs. high-income households (β: 0.34; 95%CI: 0.05, 0.63) had greater increases in CIM. Our findings show that correlates of changes in CIM span multiple levels of influence. Future interventions to increase CIM could target modifiable variables, including parental risk tolerance and perceived crime safety.