Growing up outdoors (Pre-published version)

Abstract

Did you know that nearly one in six Irish parents don’t think it’s safe for their five year old child to play outside at home during the day? Irish and international research indicates that neighbourhood safety has an impact on levels of outdoor play in young children. We recently analysed data from the Growing Up in Ireland study and found that more children engage in daily outdoor activities, such as games of chasing, bike riding or playing with a ball, in neighbourhoods parents think are safe for children than in neighbourhoods parents don’t think are safe.