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Cited by 127Children's Rights and ParticipationPhysical Activity and HealthUrban Transport and Accessibility

A meta-study of qualitative research examining determinants of children’s independent active free play

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Lee, Homan, Tamminen, Katherine A, Clark, Alexander M, Slater, Linda, Spence, John C, Holt, Nicholas L·2015·International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
DOI 10.1186/s12966-015-0165-9PMC PMC4318368
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Abstract

PURPOSE: To produce a meta-study by completing a systematic review of qualitative research examining determinants of independent active free play in children. METHOD: Following systematic electronic and manual searches and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 46 studies were retained and subjected to meta-method, meta-theory, and meta-data analyses, followed by a final meta-synthesis. RESULTS: Identified determinants of independent active free play were child characteristics (age, competence, and gender), parental restrictions (safety concerns and surveillance), neighborhood and physical environment (fewer children to play with, differences in preferences for play spaces between parents and children, accessibility and proximity, and maintenance), societal changes (reduced sense of community, good parenting ideal, changing roles of parents, privatization of playtime and play spaces), and policy issues (need to give children voice). An ecological model depicting these factors, and the relationships therein, was created. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive meta-study helps establish a knowledge base for children's independent active free play research by synthesizing a previously fragmented set of studies. Parents' perceived safety concerns are the primary barrier to children's active free play. These safety concerns are moderated by child-level factors (age, competence, gender) and broader social issues. Interventions should focus on community-level solutions that include children's perspectives. From a methods perspective, the reviewed studies used a range of data collection techniques, but methodological details were often inadequately reported. The theoretical sophistication of research in this area could be improved. To this end, the synthesis reported in this study provides a framework for guiding future research.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Lee, H., Tamminen, K. A., Clark, A. M., Slater, L., Spence, J. C., & Holt, N. L.
Affiliations
  • University of Alberta (CA)
  • University of Toronto (CA)
Corresponding author
Holt, Nicholas L
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2015-01-24
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
5-5
ISSN
1479-5868 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12966-015-0165-9
PMC
PMC4318368
OpenAlex
W2170856694
Cited by
127
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 5
FWCI
36.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Children's Rights and Participation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
  • Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
Keywords
children's physical activity, parental surveillance, neighborhood physical environment, play spaces, child age and gender, parenting ideals, ecological model, barriers to play
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Data Collection, Environment, Female, Humans, Male, Parents, Perception, Play and Playthings, Residence Characteristics, Safety, Exercise, Parenting, Qualitative Research

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