Class
Article
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
Psychology Department
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Despite an increased need to remain physically active, data suggest that fitness levels decrease across childhood and adolescence (Cooper, 2010). While anecdotal reports often blame this phenomenon on a normalized increase in meal portion size and adolescents' inclination toward screen time (e.g., gaming, media, entertainment), researchers are beginning to investigate the community and family level barriers that may limit or prevent structured and unstructured physical activity among children and adolescents. In line with these efforts, the present research was designed to address the potential link of community infrastructure and youth well-being across a range of communities in the United States. One hundred forty-six parents (Mage = 42.15; SDage = 8.18) of children aged 6 to 18 (M = 11.39; SD = 3.25) who were registered in one or more recreational sports at the community level responded to an online survey assessing their community's recreational infrastructure and their children's physical and psychological well-being. Participants were drawn from nine partner communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas of Mississippi, Nevada, and New York. Two regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of community infrastructure on children's physical and psychological well-being, respectively. Results from the full sample of nine communities suggest that community infrastructure is significantly associated with children's physical and psychological well-being. Results shed light on the role of community infrastructure in predicting children's physical and psychological outcomes, and could therefore inform the future improvement of programs, facilities, and/or initiatives in these and other communities.
Location
Room 154
Start Date
4-11-2019 10:30 AM
End Date
4-11-2019 11:45 AM
Included in
A Place for Everyone: Assessing Recreational Opportunities for Children in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities Across the United States
Room 154
Despite an increased need to remain physically active, data suggest that fitness levels decrease across childhood and adolescence (Cooper, 2010). While anecdotal reports often blame this phenomenon on a normalized increase in meal portion size and adolescents' inclination toward screen time (e.g., gaming, media, entertainment), researchers are beginning to investigate the community and family level barriers that may limit or prevent structured and unstructured physical activity among children and adolescents. In line with these efforts, the present research was designed to address the potential link of community infrastructure and youth well-being across a range of communities in the United States. One hundred forty-six parents (Mage = 42.15; SDage = 8.18) of children aged 6 to 18 (M = 11.39; SD = 3.25) who were registered in one or more recreational sports at the community level responded to an online survey assessing their community's recreational infrastructure and their children's physical and psychological well-being. Participants were drawn from nine partner communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas of Mississippi, Nevada, and New York. Two regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of community infrastructure on children's physical and psychological well-being, respectively. Results from the full sample of nine communities suggest that community infrastructure is significantly associated with children's physical and psychological well-being. Results shed light on the role of community infrastructure in predicting children's physical and psychological outcomes, and could therefore inform the future improvement of programs, facilities, and/or initiatives in these and other communities.