Parents' Perceptions of the Neighbourhood Built Environment Are Associated with the Social and Emotional Development of Young Children

The influence of the neighbourhood built environment on young children's physical development has been well-documented; however, there is limited empirical evidence of an association with social and emotional development. Parental perceptions of the neighbourhood built environment may act as fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-05, Vol.19 (11), p.6476
Main Authors: Robinson, Trina, Nathan, Andrea, Murray, Kevin, Christian, Hayley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Bicycling
Built Environment
Child
Child development
Child, Preschool
Children
Children & youth
Childrens health
Crime
Emotions
Environment Design
Families & family life
Humans
Land use
Mental health
Neighborhoods
Parents
Parents & parenting
Perceptions
Residence Characteristics
Socioeconomic factors
Traffic accidents & safety
Urban environments
Walking - psychology
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Summary:The influence of the neighbourhood built environment on young children's physical development has been well-documented; however, there is limited empirical evidence of an association with social and emotional development. Parental perceptions of the neighbourhood built environment may act as facilitators or barriers to young children's play and interactions in their local environment. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between parents' perceptions of the neighbourhood built environment and the social-emotional development of children aged two-to-five years. Parents' positive perceptions of traffic safety (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.55, 0.98), crime safety (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.64, 0.99) and land use mix-access (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.56, 0.98) were associated with lower odds of social-emotional difficulties, while positive perceptions of walking and cycling facilities were associated with higher odds of difficulties (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.02, 1.55). Positive perceptions of land use mix-access (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.03, 1.69), street connectivity (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.10, 1.66) and neighbourhood aesthetics (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.01, 1.60) were associated with higher odds of prosocial behaviours. Interventions to improve parents' perceptions of built environment features may facilitate opportunities for play and interactions which contribute to healthy social-emotional development.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph19116476