Parental Neighborhood Safety Perceptions and Their Children’s Health Behaviors

Associations by Child Age, Gender and Household Income

Abstract

This study examined relationships betweenparents’ neighborhood safety perceptions (NSPs) and their children’s physical activity, active commuting to school, park use, active transportation to parks, and screen time, including differences by child gender, age, and income. Parents completed validated measures about NSPs and one child’s behaviors. Children (n=144) were dichotomized into highor low groups for each of five behaviors and ANCOVAs analyzed between-group differences in parents’ NSPs. There were no significant NSP differences for physical activityor active commuting, buthigher parental NSPs were associated with greater park use among the full sample, males, ages 3-5, ages 13-17, and low-income children. Higher parental NSPs were also related to females’ greater active transport to parks and less screen time. Addressing structural and psychosocial elements of neighborhood safety can lead to increased physical and social activity among young people.