The role of subjective and objective indicators of neighbourhood safety on children’s physical activity level

Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the association of neighbourhood safety in three levels with children’s physical activity. These levels include parental perception and children’s perception as subjective measurements and reported rates of crime and traffic as objective measurements. 1421 questionnaires were distributed in primary schools among eligible children and their parents in Bandar Abbas city, Iran. Boys were more active than girls, but the level of physical activity in children was generally low. Parents were more concerned about neighbourhood safety compared with their children. Both subjective and objective measurements of safety contributed with children’s physical activity. Policymakers and designers should develop environments where both parents and children perceive as having sufficient levels of safety and consider interventions for reducing crime and traffic rates so as to increase children’s physical activity.