Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Objective Active play refers to unstructured and self-directed physical activity performed in children's free time. Active play can contribute to greater physical activity levels and subsequently help prevent obesity. The extent to which parents influence the active play domain of physical activity is not well established. One way in which parents could negatively influence their child's active play is by limiting their independent mobility, or the extent to which they can travel around their neighbourhood without adult supervision. The objective of this study is to determine if independent mobility is associated with active play among 8-11 year olds. Methods Participants consist of dyads of 8-11 year old children and one of their parents/guardians. Participants are from across Canada and the United States. To measure active play, parents completed a web-based survey consisting of questions measuring how frequently their child engages in outdoor play in various locations. Independent mobility was measured by asking parents how far their child is allowed to roam from home alone and with friends without adult accompaniment. All survey questions were taken or adapted from existing validated instruments. Generalized linear models will be used to examine the relationship between the independent mobility and active play frequency of children, while controlling for several covariates. Results Data collection is ongoing. A sample size of 500 is targeted. Results will be presented at the conference. Discussion This study aims to fill current gaps in the literature by examining how limiting a child's independent mobility restricts their outdoor active play.