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Article
What is the Relationship between Risky Outdoor Play and Health in Children? A Systematic Review
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  • Mariana Brussoni, University of British Columbia
  • Rebecca Gibbons, University of British Columbia
  • Casey Gray, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
  • Takuro Ishikawa, University of British Columbia
  • Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Queen Maud University
  • Adam Bienenstock
  • Guylaine Chabot, Laval University
  • Pamela Fuselli
  • Susan Herrington, University of British Columbia
  • Ian Janssen, Queen's University
  • William Pickett, Queen's University
  • Marlene Power, Forest School Canada
  • Nicholas Stanger, Western Washington University
  • Margaret Sampson, Children's Hospital of Eastern Onterio
  • Mark S. Tremblay, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-8-2015
Keywords
  • Physical activity,
  • Supervision,
  • Injury,
  • Independent mobility,
  • Playground
Abstract

Risky outdoor play has been associated with promoting children’s health and development, but also with injury and death. Risky outdoor play has diminished over time, concurrent with increasing concerns regarding child safety and emphasis on injury prevention. We sought to conduct a systematic review to examine the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children, in order to inform the debate regarding its benefits and harms. We identified and evaluated 21 relevant papers for quality using the GRADE framework. Included articles addressed the effect on health indicators and behaviours from three types of risky play, as well as risky play supportive environments. The systematic review revealed overall positive effects of risky outdoor play on a variety of health indicators and behaviours, most commonly physical activity, but also social health and behaviours, injuries, and aggression. The review indicated the need for additional “good quality” studies; however, we note that even in the face of the generally exclusionary systematic review process, our findings support the promotion of risky outdoor play for healthy child development. These positive results with the marked reduction in risky outdoor play opportunities in recent generations indicate the need to encourage action to support children’s risky outdoor play opportunities. Policy and practice precedents and recommendations for action are discussed.

Required Publisher's Statement

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).

Comments

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Children--Health and hygiene; Outdoor recreation for children; Exercise for children; Risk-taking (Psychology) in children
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Mariana Brussoni, Rebecca Gibbons, Casey Gray, Takuro Ishikawa, et al.. "What is the Relationship between Risky Outdoor Play and Health in Children? A Systematic Review" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 12 Iss. 6 (2015) p. 6423 - 6454
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/nicholas-stanger/3/