Urban Form and Children’s Physical Activity

The analysis of children’s self-reported activity spaces (i.e., the settings they frequently visited and favoured within their home and school-environments) revealed that the increased greenery and residential building density around children’s activity spaces (400 meters or a 5-minute walking distance) reduced the risks of children experiencing behavioural issues across all neighbourhoods.

According to the findings, household income exerted a greater impact than gender in shaping the relationship between physical activity intensity and mental wellbeing (i.e., life satisfaction, emotional and behavioural difficulties) in children. In the case of children from more affluent economic backgrounds, an increased prevalence of sedentary behaviour was correlated with reduced Life Satisfaction (LSS) scores. Conversely, among children in the lowest economic category, there was a weak association between sedentary behaviour and heightened life satisfaction, alongside an increase in emotional and behavioural difficulties.