Abstract
BackgroundOutdoor public recreation spaces are important settings for leisure and physical activity. Adolescents’ use of these spaces may contribute to social connectedness via social interaction with peers and the community in these settings. However, research on this topic is limited. This exploratory study examined associations of frequency of visitation and physical activity in outdoor public recreation spaces with social connectedness among adolescents in Melbourne, Australia.MethodsAdolescents self-reported their frequency of visitation to parks, trails, beach/lake, and sports facilities; frequency of physical activity in a park, local street or path, and their street; and social connectedness. Separate analyses were conducted for visitation (n = 349, 15.4 ± 1.6 years, 58% female) and physical activity (n = 441, 15.4 ± 1.6 years, 59% female) using multilevel linear regression models.ResultsNo significant associations were observed for frequency of visitation to a park (B = 0.86, 95% CI = − 0.26, 1.99), trails (B = 0.41, 95% CI = − 0.61, 1.44), beach/lake (B = − 0.44, 95% CI = − 1.46, 0.57), or sports facilities (B = 0.64, 95% CI = − 0.43, 1.70), nor for frequency of physical activity in their street (B = − 0.07, 95% CI = − 0.46, 0.31), local street/path (B = − 0.05, 95% CI = − 0.43, 0.33) or in a park (B = 0.23, 95% CI = − 0.14, 0.60) with adolescents’ social connectedness.ConclusionsThe findings did not support the hypothesis that visiting and being active in outdoor public recreation spaces are associated with adolescents’ social connectedness. Future research should consider the duration and context of outdoor public recreation space use (e.g., sports, socialising, relaxing alone) and whether different types and/or a combination of public spaces are more/less conducive to social connectedness.
Highlights
Adolescence is a critical life stage characterised by profound changes in physiological, mental, and social development [1, 2]
The NEighbourhood Activity in Youth project (NEArbY) project is nested within a global study, the International Physical Activity and the Environment (IPEN) Adolescent project, which examined associations between the neighbourhood environment and physical activity among adolescents from 15 countries [54, 55]
School and participant recruitment Adolescents were recruited from secondary schools selected from Statistical Area Level 1’s (SA1) across Melbourne [57], the smallest administrative unit used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to release census data [58]
Summary
Adolescence is a critical life stage characterised by profound changes in physiological, mental, and social development [1, 2]. Loneliness has been recognised as the lack of social connectedness and the perception of social isolation [18, 21], and it is a risk factor for high blood pressure [22], increased inflammation [23], depressive symptoms [24], reduced physical activity [25], and addiction [26]. Adolescents’ use of these spaces may contribute to social connectedness via social interaction with peers and the community in these settings. This exploratory study examined associations of frequency of visitation and physical activity in outdoor public recreation spaces with social connectedness among adolescents in Melbourne, Australia
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