Reported barriers to physical activity and the role of built environment among overweight and obese youth attending a Canadian pediatric weight management clinic

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess activity levels and role of the built environment among overweight and obese youth referred to a pediatric weight management clinic. DesignA cross-sectional study using a caregiver-administered survey was completed from October 2017 to February 2018. ResultsThe study analyzed 210 surveys. Participants were 52 % male and average age was 11.6 years (3–18 years). Of those surveyed, 73 % of respondents reported ≥ 2 h of average daily screen time in the past 3 months, and 74 % of children partook in < 60 min of daily physical activity of any intensity. The most common location for physical activity was a recreational facility. The least common was nearby green spaces. Moreover, 77 % of caregivers felt that their child did not engage in enough physical activity, and the most common cited barrier was motivation. The built environment, however, was not cited as a barrier to active living as 90 % of caregivers reported their community was safe, and greater than 80 % of caregivers agreed their community was aesthetically beautiful, well connected with good infrastructure. The majority of commonly used spaces were located within 2 km of their home, however, it was uncommon for children to walk or bike to them. ConclusionOverweight and obese children referred to our clinic are not meeting national recommendations for physical activity and screen time. The built environment does not appear to be a large contributing factor to decreased physical activity in this population and the most common reason cited for lack of physical activity was motivation.