Promoting public playgrounds usage and children’s physical activity with sports activities: a quasi-experimental study

Background:
Organizing sports activities may increase playground usage, but this remains unexplored.

Purpose:
This study aimed to evaluate the children’s usage and their physical activity levels at playgrounds with organized sports activities as compared to playgrounds without organized activities.

Methods:
Following a quasi-experimental study design, we evaluated usage and children’s physical activity levels on playgrounds (N = 4) with organized School Playgrounds Sports (SPS) activities and matched control playgrounds (N = 4). The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities protocol was used to assess playground usage and estimate the playground users’ age category, sex, and physical activity level. On the playgrounds, five consecutive scans were conducted every ten minutes at the pre-determined target areas on four different days during SPS activities. To analyze the association between playground type, the number of observed children, and the proportion of children in MVPA, Generalized Estimating Equation analyses were conducted.

Results:
The SPS playgrounds were associated with a higher usage (IRR = 1.52, p = .067). Mainly more boys were observed at SPS playgrounds (IRR = 1.914, p = .003). Usage of the SPS and control playgrounds by girls was similar (IRR = 1.068, p = .815). The proportion of MVPA was not significantly different between the SPS and control playgrounds for all the children (p = .714), boys (p = .936) and girls (p = .882).

Conclusion:
Providing SPS was associated with 52% more playground users at the time of the activities as compared to control playgrounds. However, this mainly involved boys. Furthermore, the children’s physical activity levels were similar on the SPS and control playgrounds.

Practical implications:
Providing sports activities on public playgrounds may be a viable approach to increase public playground usage by boys. To increase playground usage by girls, a different approach is needed.

Funding:
NWO-SIA funding (#HBOPD.2018.05.057).