SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2015
A meta-study of qualitative research examining determinants of children's independent active free play.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Influence of Neighborhood Built Environments on the Outdoor Free Play of Young Children: a Systematic, Mixed-Studies Review and Thematic Synthesis.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2023Pooled it
- "Children are precious cargo; we don't let them take any risks!": Hearing from adults on safety and risk in children's active play in schools: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- "All the fun stuff, the teachers say, 'that's dangerous!'" Hearing from children on safety and risk in active play in schools: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- Social-Ecological Correlates of Children's Independent Mobility: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Systematic review of the correlates of outdoor play and time among children aged 3-12 years.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Pooled it
- What Is the Relationship between the Neighbourhood Built Environment and Time Spent in Outdoor Play? A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Don't take down the monkey bars: Rapid systematic review of playground-related injuries.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2019Pooled it
- A Web-Based and In-Person Risk Reframing Intervention to Influence Mothers' Tolerance for, and Parenting Practices Associated With, Children's Outdoor Risky Play: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Neighborhood playability and early childhood development: a population-based birth cohort study.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Research on the safety evaluation of children's activity space in urban residential areas.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Screen Time Amongst Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australian Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Studies.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025Article
- Parental Attitudes to Risky Play and Children's Independent Mobility: Public Health Implications for Children in Ireland.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Stroke Experiences and Unmet Needs of Individuals of African Descent Living in High-Income Economy Countries: a Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2024Review
- It is child's play: Caregiver and playworker perspectives on a community park-based unstructured play program.PloS one · 2024Article
- Article
- Physical environment features that predict outdoor active play can be measured using Google Street View images.International journal of health geographics · 2023Article
- Early adolescents' physical activity and nutrition beliefs and behaviours.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2022Article
- Parents' Attitudes Regarding Their Children's Play and Sport During COVID-19.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2022Article
- A Tale of Two Cities: Unpacking the Success and Failure of School Street Interventions in Two Canadian Cities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTo produce a meta-study by completing a systematic review of qualitative research examining determinants of independent active free play in children.
methodFollowing systematic electronic and manual searches and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 46 studies were retained and subjected to meta-method, meta-theory, and meta-data analyses, followed by a final meta-synthesis.
resultsIdentified determinants of independent active free play were child characteristics (age, competence, and gender), parental restrictions (safety concerns and surveillance), neighborhood and physical environment (fewer children to play with, differences in preferences for play spaces between parents and children, accessibility and proximity, and maintenance), societal changes (reduced sense of community, good parenting ideal, changing roles of parents, privatization of playtime and play spaces), and policy issues (need to give children voice). An ecological model depicting these factors, and the relationships therein, was created.
conclusionsThis comprehensive meta-study helps establish a knowledge base for children's independent active free play research by synthesizing a previously fragmented set of studies. Parents' perceived safety concerns are the primary barrier to children's active free play. These safety concerns are moderated by child-level factors (age, competence, gender) and broader social issues. Interventions should focus on community-level solutions that include children's perspectives. From a methods perspective, the reviewed studies used a range of data collection techniques, but methodological details were often inadequately reported. The theoretical sophistication of research in this area could be improved. To this end, the synthesis reported in this study provides a framework for guiding future research.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.