Canadian children's independent mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey

"Losing access to outdoor spaces was the biggest challenge for children to be healthy": pandemic restrictions and community supports for children's movement in Nova Scotia

Introduction

Health-focused communities can promote physical activity for children by providing them with safe and supportive environments to move. Across the COVID-19 pandemic many community spaces and services were closed due to public health restrictions. During the pandemic, Atlantic Canada uniquely implemented an agreement between four provinces to restrict travel and reduce the spread of the virus. The "Atlantic bubble" led to fewer cases of COVID-19 and restrictions to community spaces and services. With restrictions now removed, community spaces and services likely play a critical role in facilitating the recalibration of children's movement. Perspectives from families who experienced the "Atlantic bubble" may offer valuable insights to the use of these spaces during and after the removal of restrictions.

Objective

This study explored the role of community spaces and services on their child's physical activity across the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of Nova Scotia caregivers.

Methods

We employed a qualitative description approach and conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 caregivers of children aged 5-11 years who lived in Nova Scotia, Canada. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Four themes were generated: (1) Public health restrictions limited community movement behaviors and social connections, (2) Spaces, locations, and environments influenced how families experienced physical activity during public health restrictions, (3) Virtual realities: screens supported a new sense of community for children throughout the pandemic, and (4) "Facilitated" and "forced adaptability": public health restrictions changed family dynamics, routines, and movement behaviors.

Conclusion

Despite living in the "Atlantic bubble," Nova Scotian caregivers shared that COVID-19 related public health restrictions shifted their family's dynamics, routines, and ability to engage in physical activity within their communities. Community spaces and services can be leveraged to recalibrate children's movement as pandemic-related restrictions are reduced. In future public health crises, community spaces and services should remain in place to whatever extent possible to reduce the collateral consequences of public health restrictions on children's health.

Children's Independent Mobility, School Travel, and the Surrounding Neighborhood

INTRODUCTION

Children's active travel to and from school (AST) and children's independent mobility (CIM) are consistently positively associated with physical activity (PA); however, few researchers have investigated associations between objective measures of the environment and indicators of AST and CIM in national samples.

METHODS

A national sample of 2,067 Canadian parents of 7- to 12-year-old children was recruited in December 2020. Regression analyses were used in 2023 to assess the association between geographic information system measures of park density, blue space, population density, greenspace, intersection density, and CIM and AST to and from school.

RESULTS

Children in areas with high versus low park density (>0.025 vs. ≤0.025) had higher odds of travel to school via active modes (OR: 1.47 [1.14, 1.91], p=0.003). Children in neighborhoods in the highest quartile for neighborhood greenspace (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) were more likely to travel to home actively than those in areas of lower greenspace (OR: 1.70 [1.18, 2.45], p=0.004). On average, children living in areas in the highest versus the lowest quartile for intersection density were more likely to engage in AST to (OR: 2.43 [1.58, 3.75], p<0.001) and from (OR: 2.77 [1.80, 4.29], p<0.001) school.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed associations underscore a need for city planners and policymakers to ensure sufficient access to parks and neighborhood greenspace, especially if findings are confirmed in longitudinal studies. More research is needed to investigate the role of intersection density in supporting AST and CIM.

Correlates of Active School Transportation During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Canadian 7- to 12-Year-Olds: A National Study

BACKGROUND

Active school transportation (AST) is an important source of physical activity for children and a potentially important climate change mitigation strategy. However, few studies have examined factors associated with AST in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We used baseline data from a longitudinal survey to investigate correlates of AST during the second wave of COVID-19 (December 2020). We collected survey data from 2291 parents of 7- to 12-year-olds across Canada and linked this information with data on neighborhood walkability and weather from national databases. We assessed potential correlates representing multiple levels of influence of the social-ecological model. We used gender-stratified binary logistic regression models to determine the correlates of children's travel mode to/from school (dichotomized as active vs motorized), while controlling for household income. We examined the correlates of travel mode for both the morning and afternoon trips.

RESULTS

Consistent correlates of AST among Canadian children during the COVID-19 pandemic included greater independent mobility, warmer outdoor temperature, having a parent who actively commuted to work or school, living in a household owning fewer vehicles, and living in a more walkable neighborhood. These findings were largely consistent between boys and girls and between morning and afternoon school trips.

CONCLUSIONS

Policymakers, urban planners, and public health workers aiming to promote AST should focus on these correlates while ensuring that neighborhoods are safe for children. Future research should monitor the prevalence and correlates of AST as COVID-19 restrictions are removed.