Safe Playgrounds Research Articles

Modern design trends in children's playgrounds (Tomsk)

Intensive urbanization limits the available space for children, sphere of cognitive activity and contacts with the world. It is therefore necessary to create multifunctional outdoor playgrounds playing an important role in the physical and psychological development of children and adolescents as well as contribute to their social adaptation to the environment. Purpose: The study of modern approaches to and innovations in the design of children's playgrounds to create safe, diverse and appropriate play spaces. Methodology: The analysis of playground design trends, which includes the literature review and assessment of socio-cultural and environmental factors affecting the design and creation of modern playgrounds. Research findings: Key factors and methods are determined to create modern and safe playgrounds taking into account current needs and opinions of children, climatic conditions, and the importance of creating the natural and barrier-free environment for disabled children. Value: The paper studies the modern domestic and foreign experience in the design and construction of children's playgrounds, highlights the latest trends in their function and composition. The paper presents playgrounds for children (3–14 years), their improvement with respect to modern landscape elements and spatial structures.

Developing child-friendly cities: Young children’s participation in urban planning

This article is based on a collaborative project between a municipality and a research team, aiming to investigate participatory methods that promote young children’s interest and participation in, and access to express their views in connection with, urban planning processes. The research question was: What characterizes a child-friendly city for young children and their families? The article is framed within the perspective of children’s rights, affordance and child-friendly outdoor environments. The project has employed multiple research methods. The participants were children (aged 3-6) and parents from three early childhood education and care institutions. The children (n=16) participated in guided tours, field conversations, drawing and constructive play using Lego. The parents (n=14) participated by identifying the locations that they preferred to frequent with their children, and a structured survey was used to identify what the parents liked and disliked about the places they identified. Our findings indicate that there are four important features that characterise a child-friendly city: 1) The availability of ‘green lungs’, 2) Creative and challenging play opportunities, 3) Places for the whole family, and 4) Safe playgrounds and walking routes. We discuss how better knowledge of what characterizes a child-friendly city can contribute to planning processes.

TOYS AND GAMES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN UKRAINIAN REALITIES CAUSED BY WAR

Military operations on territory of Ukraine changed lives of all their citizens. Ukrainian children are the most vulnerable in this situation. The article is about the changes observed in the playing activities of children caused by war in Ukraine. The description of new methods in playing activities is the deployment of play activities in a safe, adult-defined environment (in a bomb shelter, a shelter, on a temporarily safe playground) with children who are currently nearby.The content of playing plots of preschoolers, which is caused by external circumstances, the redistribution of responsibilities in the Ukrainian family, and the emergence of multi-age play associations, is analyzed. These are such games as "war machine", "shelter", "soldiers", unfolding of game plots based on multimedia usually content not available for preschool children. A description of modern toys popular among preschoolers is given: toy weapons, military paraphernalia, new imaginative toys. Advises for parents on choosing toys and organizing play activities of preschool children are provided.Key words: modern toy, playing activity, change of game plots, children of preschool age, Ukrainian society.

'Improving Health through Reducing Stress': Parents' Priorities in the Participatory Development of a Multilevel Family Health Programme in a Low-Income Neighbourhood in The Netherlands.

In order to reduce health inequities, a socio-ecological approach and community engagement are needed to develop sustained interventions with a positive effect on the health of disadvantaged groups. This qualitative study was part of the development phase of a community health promotion programme. The study aimed to provide insight into the perceptions of parents in a disadvantaged neighbourhood about health, and their priorities for the community health programme. It also described the process of integrating these perceptions in the development of a multilevel plan for this programme. Participatory methods were applied to enable the engagement of all groups involved. Ten parents from a low-income neighbourhood in the Netherlands participated in five panel sessions. Parents’ priorities for improving family health were reducing chronic stress and not so much healthy eating and physical activity. They prioritised solutions to reduce their financial stress, to provide a safe place for their children to meet and play and to establish good quality communication with authorities. The programme development process resulted in objectives in which both parents and professionals were willing to invest, such as a safe playground for children. This study shows that target population engagement in health programme development is possible and valuable.

Fasilitas Bermain Jungkat Jungkit Untuk SLB Untung Tuah Samarinda

Special School is an educational institute who help special needs children to study with special education provided for them. There is one of Special School located in Samarinda City named Untung Tuah Special School. Just like children in general, special needs children in Special Schools need to play too, that is why there are playground in Special Schools in order for children to not feel depressed during their study. But unfortunately, normal playground facility does not have special safety function for special needs children so some them are not able to use the playground equipments. Seesaw train to cooperate, communicate, social interact, and vestibular system or balance so it is suitable for children to train their feet, hand, etc. The purpose of this design is to create seesaw facility that can help children with special needs, especially intellectual disability and physical disability children, so they can play safely dan comfortable with their friends. The design processs used Vinod Goel’s method that covers formulation of the problem, literature review, data analysis, design analysis, alternative design development, and design final result that are technique drawing, 3D Modeling, prototype, and poster. This design produce a playground equipment as seesaw for special needs children especially intellectual disability and physical disability children. This seesaw is expected to be a safe playground equipment and facilitate special needs children to play freely.

Intersection of Bias, Structural Racism, and Social Determinants With Health Care Inequities.

* Abbreviation: SDoH — : social determinant of health Race, and more specifically, racism, is recognized as an important social determinant of health (SDoH) and a key driver of health inequities.1–3 The study “Race, Postoperative Complications, and Death in Apparently Healthy Children” in this issue of Pediatrics provides new evidence of race as a critical social determinant of surgical outcomes.4 The investigators demonstrate that apparently healthy Black children had a higher risk of postoperative mortality, complications, and serious adverse events than their white counterparts. Identifying these disparities using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program pediatric database highlights the importance of health care practices to more deliberately consider equity in their quality improvement portfolios. The analyses were done among children with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 (normal healthy patients) or 2 (patients with mild systemic disease, such as mild asthma). By excluding children with significant comorbidities, this study helps advance knowledge beyond most previous pediatric disparities research focused on identifying disparities by exploring potential root causes. The findings suggest that, although preoperative comorbidities have previously been proposed as a factor contributing to postoperative disparities, they do not explain the results in the current study. Implicit racial bias has been proposed as another potential source of health care … Address correspondence to Tiffani J. Johnson, MD, MSc, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, 4150 V St, Suite 2100, Sacramento, CA 95817. E-mail: tjo{at}ucdavis.edu

Place of sanctuary: an appreciative inquiry approach to discovering how communities support breastfeeding and parenting

BackgroundSignificant efforts by governments at a global and national level have not resulted in a significant increase in the duration of breastfeeding to six months. The views of family and social networks, and community attitudes particularly around breastfeeding in public, influence infant feeding decisions. Yet many interventions designed to increase breastfeeding focus on the individual woman and have not been developed from the ‘ground up’ in consultation with women and communities. This study aimed to identify the key components of Mother Infant Caring Communities that promote and support breastfeeding and early parenting.MethodsAppreciative Inquiry was used to facilitate a ‘Community Conversation’ workshop in two local councils in Australia. Thirty-five participants attended the community conversation workshops including new parents, grandparents, children’s services, local government, and representatives from maternity and child health services. In addition, one focus group discussion was conducted with six retail business owners or managers. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data. This paper presents the findings of the first phase (the Discovery phase) of the study.ResultsFour major themes emerged: “PLACE – A community for everyone”; “A PLACE for children and families”; “Sometimes a PLACE to breastfeed” and “The parent room: a hidden and unsafe PLACE to breastfeed”. Participants described the characteristics of communities that provided a sanctuary and fostered well-being for parents and infants including, open green spaces, safe playgrounds, walking tracks and community hubs. Shopping centres were described as having the potential to be the ‘village’. Community-based services to support breastfeeding and parenting were highly valued. Yet in both sites, participants stated that breastfeeding was rarely observed in public and bottle feeding was more evident.ConclusionBreastfeeding and parenting are embedded in the places where women and families live. Community spaces including shopping centres, should be designed to include infants and young children and offer appropriate facilities such as safe and clean parenting rooms. Health services must work with local government, businesses, and diverse community members to identify what parents’ value about their community and design and implement innovative local strategies to support breastfeeding.

Abstract P125: Cardiovascular Health Improves in High Transportation Vulnerable Girls With Decreased Exposures to Residential Segregation

Introduction: Transportation equity ensures that all citizens benefit from a clean, fair, safe and healthy environment. Residential segregation also impacts health, and transportation disadvantage is particularly high in areas with high segregation, where residents typically lack proximity to quality education, jobs, healthy food, safe playgrounds, and medical care. Recent research demonstrates improvements in cardiovascular risk profiles among minority girls after reduced exposure to segregation. There is a need to examine differences in the segregation-youth cardiovascular health association across transportation vulnerability and gender to inform health equity interventions. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that girls with reduced segregation exposure and low transportation vulnerability would have the most improved cardiovascular health. Methods: Data for these analyses were drawn from the Fit2Play dataset (2010-2018; N=2742). Youth were followed over 4 consecutive years of participation in a year-long afterschool physical activity program. Change in segregation exposure was based on concentration of minorities living in block groups from the participant’s home to program areas using the 2010 Census. Transportation vulnerability was based on percent of households in the participant’s home zip code with vehicle access (0, 1, 2, or ≥3 vehicles) drawn from the American Community Survey (2012-16). Longitudinal mixed models were used to compare the association between change in residential segregation and five cardiovascular health risk measures (body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, skinfold thickness and 400 meter run tests) stratified by transportation vulnerability and gender. Results: Participants were 54% male, 51% Hispanic, 49% non-Hispanic black, and 52% high poverty (mean age 9.5 years). After accounting for child age, race/ethnicity, poverty, and year, girls with high transportation vulnerability and reduced segregation exposure showed the most reduced cardiovascular health risk profiles, including improvements in body mass index (26%, 95% CI: 23.84, 28.30), skinfold thicknesses (18%, 95% CI: 14.90, 20.46), run time (17%, 95% CI: 14.88, 18.64), systolic blood pressure (15%, 95% CI: 11.96, 17.08), and diastolic blood pressure (12%, 95% CI: 9.09, 14.61). In contrast, no clear patterns emerged for low transportation vulnerable girls, and high or low transportation vulnerable boys. Conclusions: In conclusion, high transportation vulnerable girls exposed to reduced segregation had greater improvements in all cardiovascular health risk outcomes compared with low transportation vulnerable girls, and both high and low transportation vulnerable boys. Transportation equity interventions may provide a means to reduce youth cardiovascular health disparities, particularly for girls living highly segregated areas.

Playground Safety Assessment by Playground Rating System (PRS) Method in Qom, Iran

Background: Playing is one of the first children s activities and one of the factors affecting the health and physical and mental development of children. So have a safe park is one of the most basic rights of children. Without any doubt playgrounds should be healthy and safe environment for the children, that children can play freely and enjoy the game and to gain new experiences were. This study aiming at Playground Safety Assessment in Qom City by Playground Rating System (PRS) Method in 2017-2018 was conducted. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 98 Park has been evaluated in Qom city. In order to evaluation the safety of playground, after assessing the validity and reliability of Playground Rating System method, mentioned method was used. Data were analyzed by using Independent sample t-test, correlation coefficient, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-Square statistical tests with SPSS software version 20. Finally, with regard to safety levels of playground, GIS maps for the playgrounds safety in the Qom City were drawn. Results: The results of this study showed that the mean and standard deviation scores of the parks studied in PRS method is a low and equal to 39.17 and 6.13 respectively. Results related to the frequency of each of the safety levels of PRS method indicated that all playground examined in this study had a total score of less than 59 and stay on “F” risk level or unsafe. The Important factor in lowering the level of safety in the playground of Qom city is how to play the game / social ergonomics. Also there was a meaningful relationship between the part of the Maintenance and safety in the PRS method with the level of incomes in various urban areas. Conclusion: The result has shown that all of playgrounds in Qom city are unsafe or has a low safety level and the level of incomes is an important factor in the safety of playground. So considering that playgrounds play an important role in the growth and development of children s physical and mental status and also the dynamics of their cities, especially in cities such as Qom, that due to the holy shrine, is a crowded city, taking corrective actions in order to making safe playground is a top priority.

Playground Safety Assessment by Safety Report Card (SRC) Method in Qom, Iran

Background: Play is an important part of each child s life and is classified among the first children activities. One of the important issues that have been little attention to it, is a safety of playgrounds. Without any doubt the safety of children requires a safe environment and safe equipment that will use in playgrounds. This study aiming at playground safety assessment in Qom city by Safety Report Card (SRC) method in 2017-2018 was conducted. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 98 park has been evaluated in Qom city. In order to evaluation the safety of playground, after assessing the validity and reliability of Safety Report Card method, mentioned method was used. Data were analyzed by using Independent sample t-test, correlation coefficient, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-Square statistical tests with SPSS software version 20. Finally, with regard to safety levels of playgrounds, GIS maps for the playgrounds safety in the Qom City were drawn. Results: The results of this study showed that the mean scores of the parks studied in SRC method is a low and equal to 12.18. The highest average scores were related to repair and maintenance of play equipment and the lowest mean scores were also related to the fall in danger. Results related to the frequency of each of the safety levels of SRC method indicated that 3.1% of the playgrounds were at the “F” safety level, 52% of the playgrounds were at the “D” safety level, 43.9% of the playgrounds were at the “C” safety level and 1% of the playgrounds were at the “B” safety level. Also there was a meaningful relationship between the parts of the fall in danger in the SRC method with the level of incomes in various urban areas. Conclusion: The result has shown that the majority of playgrounds in Qom city has a low safety level. Considering that playgrounds play an important role in the growth and development of children s personality and also the vitality and dynamics of their cities, corrective actions in order to making safe playgrounds and sustainable development of the city, is recommended.

Are sandpits in the Municipality of Bolzano safe playgrounds for children? A survey of potentially zoonotic pathogens

Are sandpits in the Municipality of Bolzano safe playgrounds for children? A survey of potentially zoonotic pathogens

THE ROLE OF PLAYGROUND FACILITIES ON PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S PARTICIPATION IN OUTDOOR PLAY ACTIVITIES IN MOMBASA COUNTY, KENYA

This study sought to establish playground facilities factors that influence preschool children participation in outdoor play activities. The dependent variable was active participation by preschool children in outdoor play activities, while independent variables were types, safety and age appropriateness of playground facilities. The target population was preschools in Mvita sub-county. Simple Random Sampling was used to select the preschools to participate in this study. Purposive Sampling technique was used to sample respondents who were teachers handling young children between five and six years. The sample consisted of 21 pre-schools. Questionnaires for the preschool teachers and observation schedules were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyse data. The results showed that children’s general participation in outdoor play activities was not influenced by availability or lack of adequate playground facilities. Further findings revealed that playground facilities in all schools sampled had issues with safety checks. The study suggests that schools should provide children with safe playground facilities so that children can participate in outdoor activities in a conducive and comfortable space. Article visualizations:

국내 상상 어린이 공원의 친환경성 평가 연구

Since Seoul city supplied 'Sangsang Children's Park', domestic children's parks are changing from formal facilities to creative play space recently. From eco-friendly safe playground model development project, the awareness of eco-friendly playground, namely children's park is increasing and its necessity is magnified. However, we could not know how well most children's parks aimed at the eco-friendly playground reflect eco-friendly features and whether they are eco-friendly or not because there are not the specific planning guidelines and evaluation standards for making the eco-friendly playground or children's park. Therefore, in this study we established the environment-friendliness evaluation standards of children's parks and estimated the environment-friendly features of the 9 parks built on the subject of green among Sangsang Children's Parks. In the observational survey of the 9 parks, we evaluated the environment-friendliness of these parks in the 8 fields(location and placement, ecological environment, play space, play equipment and facilities, additional facilities, materials and resources, energy saving, environmental load reduction) according to the levels(suitable, partial reflection, unsuitable, non-reflection) of reflection of eco-friendly planning factors. The assessment results showed that 4 items (location and placement, additional facilities, play space, play equipment and facilities) were suitable and others (energy saving, environmental load reduction, ecological environment, materials and resources) were partial reflection or unsuitable. Therefore, on the basis of these results, this study proposed the planning indicators to be considered first and the planning factors that should be complemented and improved in the construction of eco-friendly children's park in future.

The Effects of a Forest Kindergarten Program on the Sleep Habits of Preschool Children

In modern society, children typically spend most of their time indoors. In large crowded cities, children are usually permitted to play in their house or are sent to a structured program facility because of the lack of safe playgrounds and parental worries about safety.1,2 This has reduced the opportunity for children to experience outdoor activities and reduced the amount of time spent staying in touch with nature. Moreover, children become unwilling to choose free outdoor play, which usually occurs in natural settings. In addition, children can easily access TV, video games, or personal computers as a result of the influence of increasing modern technology and media exposure.2 Playing indoors with various mobile electronic devices has also been considered a new problem in children due to the effects on cognitive and emotional development, physical health, and obesity.3-8 In recent years, interest in the positive effects on children of spending time outdoors or in a natural environment setting has grown. Allowing children to play in a natural environment is currently considered to be important and related to better physical health and cognitive development. A “forest kindergarten” was developed in Europe9 as a new type of facility that encourages a child’s experiences of the outdoors. This is a special type of nursery located in forested areas where children spend their time whilst outdoors.10,11 Many studies have demonstrated Received: December 4, 2014 Revised: January 9, 2015 Accepted: January 9, 2015

친환경 실외 놀이터 계획 요소에 관한 연구

Since Seoul city supplied 'Sangsang Children's Playground', domestic playgrounds are changing from formal facilities to creative play and learning space recently. From eco-friendly safe playground model development project, eco-friendly playground planning and its actual cases have been occasionally introduced. However, we could not know how well most playgrounds reflect eco-friendly features and whether they are eco-friendly or not because the definition about the concept of eco-friendly playground is inadequate and there are not the specific planning guidelines and evaluation standards for making the eco-friendly playground. Therefore, the development of guidelines for the construction of eco-friendly playground is required and evaluation guidelines for them should be made for the active dissemination of the actual eco-friendly playground and the proper construction of the eco-friendly playground. In this study, we defined the concept of eco-friendly outdoor playground and presented the types and characteristics of the playground based on the concept and suggested basic plan guidelines based on the existing requirements for becoming eco-friendly playground. For this purpose, we checked the plan's common points in the existing playground configuration requirements, installation standards, regulations, and safety standards, and offered the planning elements and guidelines through the analysis of outdoor space evaluation standard in eco-friendly safe playground guidelines and eco-friendly building certification system.

Playground Safety and Quality in Chicago

To assess playground safety and quality in Chicago, Illinois, identify disparities in access, and use the data to inform collaborative improvement. A cross-sectional survey of public park playgrounds in Chicago, Illinois, was conducted in 2009, 2010, and 2011 by using the National Program for Playground Safety Standardized Survey. All playgrounds were surveyed in 2009 and 2010; those that failed in 2010 were resurveyed in 2011. Playgrounds were assessed in 4 main categories: age-appropriate design, fall surfacing, equipment maintenance, and physical environment. Safety scores were generated from the assessment. Geographic information system mapping provided a visual description of the playground pass/fail rate based on neighborhood, child population, race/ethnicity, and poverty level. Of the ∼500 playgrounds, 467 were assessed in 2009, and 459 were assessed in 2010. In 2009, half of all playgrounds (55%) and in 2010, nearly two-thirds (61%) earned scores consistent with safe playgrounds (P < .001). Playgrounds scored poorest in fall surfacing and equipment maintenance. Geographic information system mapping showed neighborhoods with a higher percentage of children and impoverished families had fewer playgrounds and more failing playgrounds. In 2011, 154 (85%) of the playgrounds that failed in 2010 were surveyed. The mean playground score among failing playgrounds improved significantly between 2010 (61%) and 2011 (67%, P < .001). Since the playground improvement initiative began in 2009, considerable progress has been made in the safety scores, although access to high-quality playgrounds varies by neighborhood. Many failing playgrounds can be brought up to standard with improvement in fall surfacing and equipment maintenance.

Effects of Family Environmental Factors on Preschool Children's Motor

The purpose of this study was to delve into the influences of both family physical and psycho-social environmental factors on children's motor abilities. The study subjects consisted of 1,220 kindergarteners and their parents from 53 registered public and private kindergartens in Taipei County. The parents were requested to fill out Children's Family Environment and Their Motor Abilities Survey Form. Then, their children's motor abilities were tested. Statistical methods including one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test was used to analyze the acquired data. The main findings of the study were as follows: 1. Children with an easy access to sports equipment at home showed better performance in explosive strength, agility, coordination, muscular endurance and speed. 2. Children living in the vicinity of safe playgrounds showed better performance in balance, explosive strength, agility, muscular endurance and speed. 3. Children with more than three siblings showed better performance in balance, explosive strength, agility, muscular endurance and speed. 4. Children whose fathers’ were good at sports showed better performance in agility and muscular endurance. 5. Children whose mothers' were good at sports showed better performance in balance and muscular endurance. 6. Children with more than four playmates of the same age in the neighborhood showed better performance in agility, coordination, muscular endurance and speed. The findings of the present study concludes that children with an easy access to sports equipment at home, living in the vicinity of safe playgrounds, with more than three siblings, whose parents' were good at sports or who have more than four playmates of the same age in the neighborhood showed better performance in motor abilities.

Results of an Observational Study of Child Care Centers in Pennsylvania: Varying Approaches to Health and Safety~!2010-02-01~!2010-05-27~!2010-07-21~!

Objective: Exploring several health and safety practices in child care centers (CCCs) in Pennsylvania (PA). Design and Methods: A prospective observational study of a convenience sample of CCCs was done. On-site evaluations included direct observation of hand washing behaviors, infant sleep position, playground equipment safety, and an assessment of safety policies. Results: Evaluations were done at 134 sites. The director's median time in her current position was 2.5 years; 32% of the providers worked at the site less than one year. Sixteen (12%) sites had consulted a doctor on health policy development. Of 114 food preparation or consumption observations, 88 (77%) of the adults and 100 (92%) of the children washed their hands; and, of 181 diapering or toileting observations, 78 (83%) of the adults and 103 (95%) of the children washed their hands. Staff placed 67% of infants on their backs for sleep. Safe playground surfacing was observed surrounding 10 (21%) indoor and 52 (57%) outdoor equipment areas. Overall, suburban, non-profit, parent funded centers performed better than urban, for profit, state funded centers—except for sleep positioning when the opposite association was observed.

An Investigation of School Playground Safety Practices as Reported by School Nurses

The purpose of this study was to investigate school playground safety practices. The study used a purposeful sample of school nurses who attended a playground safety workshop at the 2006 National Association of School Nurses annual conference. Seventy-five questionnaires were distributed, and 64 useable questionnaires were returned. The responses indicated that little attention is being given to providing safe playground environments in schools as measured by best practices of supervision, age-appropriate design, fall surfacing, and equipment maintenance. Participants pointed to the need for better supervision and supervision training, careful selection of age-appropriate equipment, maintaining adequate fall surfaces under the equipment, and ensuring that equipment is properly maintained and repaired. The study also revealed that school nurses believe they could play a role in playground injury prevention through the collection and analysis of injury data, communication to administrators about the need for comprehensive planning of the play environment, and becoming active members of playground safety committees.

子どもの日常行動科学による安全で楽しい遊具づくり(&lt;メカライフ特集&gt;創立110周年記念,子供と機械)

子どもの日常行動科学による安全で楽しい遊具づくり(&lt;メカライフ特集&gt;創立110周年記念,子供と機械)