Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account
Abstract Background Children’s independent mobility (CIM) is an important contributor to physical activity and health in children. However, in the last 20 years CIM has significantly decreased. To develop effective intervention programs to promote CIM, the impact of the environment on CIM must be id...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Health Geographics |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12942-018-0145-9 |
| _version_ | 1831758584274223104 |
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| author | Isabel Marzi Yolanda Demetriou Anne Kerstin Reimers |
| author_facet | Isabel Marzi Yolanda Demetriou Anne Kerstin Reimers |
| author_sort | Isabel Marzi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Children’s independent mobility (CIM) is an important contributor to physical activity and health in children. However, in the last 20 years CIM has significantly decreased. To develop effective intervention programs to promote CIM, the impact of the environment on CIM must be identified. This review seeks to provide an overview of sex/gender-specific socio-ecological correlates of CIM. Methods A systematic literature search of five databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science) was conducted with a priori defined eligibility criteria and identified 1838 potential articles published between January 1990 and November 2017. Two independent reviewers screened the literature and identified and rated methodological quality of the studies. Related factors of CIM were summarized separately for CIM license (parental permission to travel independently) and CIM destination (destinations to which a child travels independently), and separately for boys and girls using a semi-quantitative method. Results Twenty-seven peer-reviewed journal articles were identified which examined the relationship between the social and physical environment and CIM. Only seven studies reported results divided by sex/gender. Most associations between the environment and CIM were found in the expected direction (positive or negative) or not associated at all. The social environment seemed to be more influential for ensuring CIM than the physical environment. Neighborhood safety, fear of crime and stranger, parental support, and perception of traffic were important social environmental factors influencing CIM, while car ownership, distance, and neighborhood design were relevant physical environmental attributes. Few studies examined sex/gender-related environmental correlates of independent mobility, and those findings were inconsistent. Conclusion The findings of this systematic review serve as suggestions for intervention programs to increase CIM and to identify future directions in research. To establish a robust comprehension of the impact of the social and physical environment on CIM, further sex/gender-sensitive studies using comparable measurements for CIM and environmental correlates are needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:51:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6eab989e3374cf695aa146b8ffbfff2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1476-072X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:51:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Health Geographics |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6eab989e3374cf695aa146b8ffbfff22022-12-21T18:44:26ZengBMCInternational Journal of Health Geographics1476-072X2018-07-0117111710.1186/s12942-018-0145-9Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into accountIsabel Marzi0Yolanda Demetriou1Anne Kerstin Reimers2Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of TechnologyDepartment of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of MunichFaculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of TechnologyAbstract Background Children’s independent mobility (CIM) is an important contributor to physical activity and health in children. However, in the last 20 years CIM has significantly decreased. To develop effective intervention programs to promote CIM, the impact of the environment on CIM must be identified. This review seeks to provide an overview of sex/gender-specific socio-ecological correlates of CIM. Methods A systematic literature search of five databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science) was conducted with a priori defined eligibility criteria and identified 1838 potential articles published between January 1990 and November 2017. Two independent reviewers screened the literature and identified and rated methodological quality of the studies. Related factors of CIM were summarized separately for CIM license (parental permission to travel independently) and CIM destination (destinations to which a child travels independently), and separately for boys and girls using a semi-quantitative method. Results Twenty-seven peer-reviewed journal articles were identified which examined the relationship between the social and physical environment and CIM. Only seven studies reported results divided by sex/gender. Most associations between the environment and CIM were found in the expected direction (positive or negative) or not associated at all. The social environment seemed to be more influential for ensuring CIM than the physical environment. Neighborhood safety, fear of crime and stranger, parental support, and perception of traffic were important social environmental factors influencing CIM, while car ownership, distance, and neighborhood design were relevant physical environmental attributes. Few studies examined sex/gender-related environmental correlates of independent mobility, and those findings were inconsistent. Conclusion The findings of this systematic review serve as suggestions for intervention programs to increase CIM and to identify future directions in research. To establish a robust comprehension of the impact of the social and physical environment on CIM, further sex/gender-sensitive studies using comparable measurements for CIM and environmental correlates are needed.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12942-018-0145-9Independent mobilitySocial environmentPhysical environmentChildrenSex/gender differences |
| spellingShingle | Isabel Marzi Yolanda Demetriou Anne Kerstin Reimers Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account International Journal of Health Geographics Independent mobility Social environment Physical environment Children Sex/gender differences |
| title | Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account |
| title_full | Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account |
| title_fullStr | Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account |
| title_short | Social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children: a systematic review taking sex/gender differences into account |
| title_sort | social and physical environmental correlates of independent mobility in children a systematic review taking sex gender differences into account |
| topic | Independent mobility Social environment Physical environment Children Sex/gender differences |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12942-018-0145-9 |
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