Neighbourhood variations in child accidents and related child and maternal characteristics: Does area definition make a difference? (original) (raw)
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Accidents to preschool children: comparing family and neighbourhood risk factors
Social Science Medicine, 1999
Accidental injury in young children is more common among poorer families and in deprived areas but little is known about how these factors interact. This paper describes a study to measure the contribution of individual family factors and area characteristics in determining risk of accidental injury among preschool children. We conducted a population based study of preschool accident and emergency attendances over two years in and around the city of Norwich, UK. Information on individual families was extracted from the district child health information system while``social areas'' were constructed from adjacent census enumeration districts with homogeneous social and demographic characteristics. Statistical analysis was by multilevel modelling.
Relationship between the neighbourhood built environment and early child development
Health & place, 2017
The relationship between features of the neighbourhood built environment and early child development was investigated using area-level data from the Australian Early Development Census. Overall 9.0% of children were developmentally vulnerable on the Physical Health and Well-being domain, 8.1% on the Social Competence domain and 8.1% on the Emotional Maturity domain. After adjustment for socio-demographic factors, Local Communities with the highest quintile of home yard space had significantly lower odds of developmental vulnerability on the Emotional Maturity domain. Residing in a Local Community with fewer main roads was associated with a decrease in the proportion of children developmentally vulnerable on the Social Competence domain. Overall, sociodemographic factors were more important than aspects of the neighbourhood physical environment for explaining variation between Local Communities in the developmental vulnerability of children.
BMJ Open, 2016
Introduction: New Zealand children's physical activity, including independent mobility and active travel, has declined markedly over recent decades. The Neighbourhoods for Active Kids (NfAK) study examines how neighbourhood built environments are associated with the independent mobility, active travel, physical activity and neighbourhood experiences of children aged 9-12 years in primary and intermediate schools across Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Methods and analysis: Child-specific indices of walkability, destination accessibility and traffic exposure will be constructed to measure the built environment in 8 neighbourhoods in Auckland. Interactive onlinemapping software will be used to measure children's independent mobility and transport mode to destinations and to derive measures of neighbourhood use and perceptions. Physical activity will be measured using 7-day accelerometry. Height, weight and waist circumference will be objectively measured. Parent telephone interviews will collect sociodemographic information and parent neighbourhood perceptions. Interviews with school representative will capture supports and barriers for healthy activity and nutrition behaviours at the school level. Multilevel modelling approaches will be used to understand how differing built environment variables are associated with activity, neighbourhood experiences and health outcomes. Discussion: We anticipate that children who reside in neighbourhoods considered highly walkable will be more physically active, accumulate more independent mobility and active travel, and be more likely to have a healthy body size. This research is timely as cities throughout New Zealand develop and implement plans to improve the liveability of intensifying urban neighbourhoods. Results will be disseminated to participants, local government agencies and through conventional academic avenues.
Modifiable neighbourhood units, zone design and residents’ perceptions
Health & Place, 2007
Neighbourhood effects on health are partly determined by the way the neighbourhoods are defined (the modifiable areal unit problem), but few studies of place effects have incorporated alternative sets of areal units. This study compared computer-generated zones with areal units identified subjectively by local government officers as communities in the city of Bristol, UK. Automated zone design came close to replicating the subjective communities when the balance of objectives and boundary constraints was adjusted. The set of subjective community areas was compared with automated zone designs, which maximized the homogeneity of a social factor (deprivation) and an environmental factor (housing type), at three different geographical scales, with average populations of 2500, 3700 and 7500. All sets of areas were then matched against the neighbourhood perceptions and social behaviour reported by residents, measured as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Neighbourhood perceptions and social behaviour varied mostly between individuals, but there were significant small differences between all sets of areas. The neighbourhood perceptions of residents were found to match the areas identified by automated zone design as well as they matched the subjectively defined communities, suggesting that the neighbourhoods identified by experts were not more real to residents than synthetic areas. Differences in perceptions could be explained by variations in social and housing conditions at the very local scale of enumeration districts, with populations of about 500. The neighbourhoods with meaning for residents therefore appeared to be much smaller areas than those typically investigated in geographical studies of health.
This review examines evidence of the association between the neighborhood built environment, green spaces and outdoor home area, and early (0–7 years) child health and development. There was evidence that the presence of child relevant neighborhood destinations and services were positively associated with early child development domains of physical health and wellbeing and social competence. Parents' perceptions of neighborhood safety were positively associated with children's social–emotional development and general health. Population representative studies using objective measures of the built environment and valid measures of early child development are warranted to understand the impact of the built environment on early child health and development.
2013
This dissertation examines children's everyday neighbourhood activities, and the role of the local environment in supporting or limiting their healthy behaviours. Research from the last two decades has documented a dramatic decline in the time children spend playing in their neighbourhood settings, and engaging in local active and independent travel. Traditionally, neighbourhood-based activities have fostered key developmental and health outcomes, including higher levels of physical fitness, the negotiation of new social relationships, and increased cognitive and environmental competence. The processes of carving out neighbourhood 'domains' for independent activity and establishing community relationships are also linked to the development of a healthy selfidentity and attachment to place. The loss of neighbourhood experiences may therefore have adverse consequences for children's health and well-being. This study identifies and investigates patterns in children's (aged 7 to 13 years) environmental perception, activity and mobility in various neighbourhoods within the mid-sized Canadian city of London, Ontario. Children's local activities are examined through three complementary case studies utilizing a broad range of experiential, visual and qualitative tools, coupled with objective activity monitoring via portable GPS. Patterns in perception and behaviour were evident, but findings reinforce that children's neighbourhood activities are highly individual and complex. Children were attuned to locally available activity opportunities, but neighbourhood engagements were generally limited and largely passive in nature. Recreational and commercial sites were identified as highly prized local destinations, but study neighbourhoods did not fully support the children's diverse preferences. Many of the criteria of 'child-friendly' environments were lacking in study neighbourhoods. Findings also confirm that neighbourhood activity and mobility is influenced not only by individual characteristics such as a child's age, but by neighbourhood social and physical conditions, as well as parent perceptions of this environment. Permission from parents for active, independent travel strongly predicted neighbourhood activity, generally iii expanding the size of a child's domain and the time spent in local settings. On the whole, however, children spent little of their free time in neighbourhood environments; pedestrian-based domains were generally very small, comprised primarily of the area immediately surrounding their home. This research provides additional evidence that the local domains of children are shrinking, and that the neighbourhood is no longer a primary setting for childhood activities. These findings suggest that the primary landscapes of play are changing in ways that may be detrimental to children's healthy development.
Social Science & Medicine, 2014
The primary objective of this study was to examine relationships between neighbourhood built and social environment characteristics and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in a sample of children aged 8e11 in Vancouver, British Columbia and the surrounding lower mainland region (n ¼ 366). A secondary objective was to assess how neighbourhood definition influences these relationships, by using measures calculated at multiple buffer sizes: 200, 400, 800 and 1600 m (1 mile). Geographic information systems -software was used to create a broad set of measures of neighbourhood environments. Physical activity was measured objectively using accelerometers. Relationships between MVPA and neighborhood characteristics were assessed using generalized estimating equations to account for the clustering of children within schools. Sex specific relationships were assessed through sex stratified models.
Social Indicators Research, 2014
Socio-environmental factors, including the neighbourhoods in which children live and grow, are key determinants of children's developmental outcomes. Thus, it is important to examine and consider the relationships between these factors and the multiple contexts that influence children. Drawing on a broad disciplinary range of existing research, we aimed to develop a conceptual model of neighbourhood effects influencing early childhood development. The neighbourhood effects literature was reviewed with a specific focus on existing models and frameworks. This review was then further expanded through consultation with our cross-disciplinary research collaboration (Kids in Communities Study Collaboration). From this a theoretical model specific to early childhood development was developed. The hypothesised model comprised five interconnected domains: physical, social, service, socio-economic, and governance. A small trial of
Effect of Urbanization on Child Safety
Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2015
Background: The world's population living in urban areas has grown up from 14% to over 50%. This study was designed aiming to compare injuries related mortality and morbidity in Urban vs Rural settings among children in Iran. Methods: Data were gathered from a household survey. A t-test was used to analyze the relationship between outcomes. Achievements: Injury in all ages accounts for 17% of all deaths in Iran. 20% of death in children is due to injuries. Children in urban settings sustain injuries due to traffic accident, airway blockage and fall from height more than rural children. About 63.5% of morbidity related to injuries occurs in private homes or in residential areas e.g. yards and compounds. In these injuries, no significant statistically difference was found between rural vs. urban setting (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Beside area level measures as an index for considering urbanization, other elements including quality of roads, distances from markets and so on should be considered as well. Safety for children is an important element to be provided prior to planning cities by urban developers. Expansion of the International Safe Community program is a potential solution.