In this section you will find listings by published years and A-Z.

 

If you have undertaken research about play and would like to put it on the Play Scotland website, please send a pdf report or the link to your website to sharonforrester@playscotland.org

 

If you would like to promote the research you are currently undertaking about play, please e-mail information about your project to sharonforrester@playscotland.org

 

 

RESEARCH PUBLISHED 2010

Community, school and workplace initiatives to encourage individuals to use the outdoor environment for physical activity - NHS Scotland
 

Great Outdoors: How our Natural Health Service Use Green Spaces to Improve Our Wellbeing

Green spaces can play a vital role in the health of the nation. Access to a park or green space can have wide-ranging benefits for our health and wellbeing.
A safe, natural environment can be a break from our busy lives - a place to get some fresh air, to exercise or play - a place to go and relax.

Community Green - Using local spaces to tackle inequality and improve health, CABE

 


The undernoted research has been published by Growing up in Scotland (GUS)

Achieving a Healthy lifestyle is Child's Play - University of Ulster


Television food advertising and the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity: a multicountry comparison - Cambridge Journals

Objective To estimate the contribution of television (TV) food advertising to the prevalence of obesity among 6-11-year-old children in Australia, Great Britain (England and Scotland only), Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United States.  For further information click here

 

Impact of neighbourhood food environment on food consumption in children aged 9-10 years in the UK SPEEDY (Sport, Physical Activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people) study - Public Health Nutrition 2010

Poor diet in childhood increases risk of obesity but the relationship between access to food and children's food choice is underexplored. We determined relationships between distance to and density of food outlets on children's food choice. Distance to and density of food outlets are both associated with children's food choice, although the impact appears to be small and the relationship is complex. However, the effects of individual foods combined could be important, particularly as even small differences in intake can impact on body weight over time.  For further information click here


RESEARCH PUBLISHED 2009

A Children's Environment and Health Strategy for the UK - Health Protection Agency

Byron Review: Safer Children in a Digital World

 Childhood and Nature: A survey on changing relationships with nature across the generations. 
- Nature England March 2009
Research undertaken by Natural England to explore the difference in contact with nature between today's generation of children compared with the contact their parents generations had. 

 

Children in the Outdoors
A literature review by Dr Sarah-Anne Munoz, Sustainable Research Centre
This review examins existing research on health and the outdoors.  Children have been identified as one of the key social groups that could gain health benefits from the outdoors. (2009)

 

Crisis in the Kindergarten - Why Children Need to Play in School
- Alliance in Childhood
The importance of play to young child's development and learning has been documented beyond question in this research.  (2009)

 

Developing a local index of child well-being  (Research)
Research from the University of York, which put child well-being in the UK, 24th place in Europe.
For a copy of the press release click here

 

Forest School in England and Wales
Forest school is a unique educational experience using the outdoor environment of the forest as a classroom. Forest Schools are becoming widespread in England and Wales.

An evaluation of two Forest School projects by the New Economics Foundationhighlighted how they can increase young people's self-confidence and self-esteem. Forest School provides opportunities for learning particularly for those who do not do as well in the school classroom.

The New Economics Foundation also produced a self -appraisal methodology so that Forest School leaders and teachers can evaluate other Forest Schools.

 

Growing Up in Scotland
GUS is an exciting new study that follows the lives of a national sample of Scotland's children from infancy through to their teens. This is one of the largest longitudinal studies ever done in Scotland and will provide information that will help develop policies affecting children and their families in Scotland. (2009)

 

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds - Physical Acitivity and Mental Health in Children and Young People
The role of physical activity in promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental health problems in children and young people.  Issued April 2009

 

IJICSP: Trends in fall injuries associated with children's outdoor climbing frames
Falls from publicly owned climbing equipment are often cited as the major
cause of injury on children's outdoor playgrounds and have been the focus of substantial interventions in the UK since the early 1980s. (2009)

 

Physical Activity and Inequalities - Health Living
This briefing paper looks at the evidence base and discusses physical activity and inequalities. Includes practical examples and case study. (2009)

 

Promoting physical activity for children and young people - NICE Promoting physical activity, active play and sport for pre-school and school-age children and young people in family, pre-school, school and community settings. (2009)

 

RESEARCH PUBLISHED 2008

Acorns and Conkers - Play Scotland

Child and Adolescent Health Research
Website dedicated to improving understanding of child and adolescent health in Scotland.

Developing Play in Scotland Survey - Play Scotland

Get Scotland Moving - BMA
Key points from this research:  One in four scots are dying from diseases related in inactivity; currently only half of 7 to 11 years olds are engaging in the recommended 60 mins of vigorous physical activity each day; the number of children travelling to school by car has doubled over the last 20 years. (2009)

 

Health behaviour in School-Aged Children from World Health Organisation
This presents the key findings on patterns of health among young people aged 11, 13 and 15 years in 41 countries and regions across the WHO European Region and North America in 2005/2006. Its theme is health inequalities: quantifying the gender, age, geographic and socioeconomic dimensions of health differentials. Its aim is to highlight where these inequalities exist, to inform and influence policy and practice and to help improve health for all young people. (2009)

 

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
Neighbourhood identity: effects of time, location and social class - Joseph Rowntree Foundation 
A study of how neighbourhood identity is formed and the implications this may have for area renewal policies.

The study examines three neighbourhoods in Stirling, Scotland, and explores what it means to people to ‘come from' each of these areas as a way of understanding issues of belonging and attachment to particular places.  (2008)

Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills - Alix Speigel
(This report also can be heard in audio). (2008)
 

Outdoor Environment Key to Tackling Obesity and Mental Ill Health - Sustainable Development Commission
The way we plan and use our towns and cities has a critical impact on the health of communities, and could be key to tackling some of Britain's health problems, according to the Sustainable Development Commission.

Although life expectancy in the UK is on the increase, healthy life expectancy is rising more slowly, with mental ill health, obesity, diabetes and other chronic illnesses an increasing problem. A growing body of evidence suggests that access to green space, a clean and safe environment, and easily accessible services and amenities - from shops and health services to public transport and work - can all have an effect on preventing and alleviating these conditions. (2008)

Physical Activity and Adolescent Girls
This is a summary of a research study undertaken for NHS Health Scotland to examine the current and emerging needs of the workforce involved in promoting physical activity to adolescent girls.  November 2008

Physical Activity and the Environment - Nice
This guidance offers the first national, evidence-based recommendations on how to improve the physical environment to encourage physical activity. It demonstrates the importance of such improvements and the need to evaluate how they impact on the public's health. (2008)
 

Scottish Play Commission - Play Scotland
In October 2007 Play Scotland received lottery funding to establish the Scottish Play Commission.  This was to examine the 'state of play' in Scotland.  In June 2008 Play Scotland launched the Findings of the Scottish Play Commission at the Scottish Parliament.  (2008)

 

 Supporting Looked After Children and Young People at School: A Scottish Case Study
- Scottish Government
This piece of research examined the arrangements for supporting looked after children in schools, including the transfer of information between social work and education, and the role of the designated senior manager with responsibility for looked after children. (2008)

 

RESEARCH PUBLISHED 2007

Adults' attitudes towards contact with children and young people - SCCYP

An overview of child well-being in rich countries
A comprehensive UNICEF assessment of the lives and the well-being of children and adolescents in the economically advanced nations.

Can PLAY Diminish ADHD and Facilitate the Construction of the Social Brain?  

Food for the Brain
Major New Initiative to Promote the Link between Children's Nutrition and Mental Health

Local Authority Play Provision in Scotland - Play Scotland
Play Scotland commissioned a Play Provision Questionnaire to gather baseline information on play in a local authority context.

Play Scotland were keen to determine the level of support, policy and planning for play within the local authorities in the absence of a statutory duty for play.

Local Authority Play Provision in Scotland, Executive Summary - Play Scotland

Parenting behaviours and children's development from infancy to early childhood (April 2007)
Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALPSAC), they examined how children develop, how parenting behaviours change as children mature from infancy to early childhood, and the relationships between paretning behaviours and children's development. (2007)

Park Life  - Greenspace June 2007
First ever public satisfaction survey of Britain's parks and green spaces.

Playday 2007 Research - Our streets too!
   Word on the Street
    Street Play - A literature Review
   Attitudes Towards Street Play (ICM)

Setting children free: children's independent movement in the local environment - UCL
Parental concerns about children's safety and security are restricting children's independent exploration of the local environment. Children are being denied important opportunities to exercise, to acquire decision-making skills, such as crossing the road safely, and to develop social skills through interaction with their peers. This paper presents findings from the project CAPABLE (Children's Activities, Perceptions And Behaviour in the Local Environment) being carried out at University College London. Based on findings from fieldwork carried out with children aged 8-11 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, the paper shows the effect of factors such as the number of adults at home, having an older sibling, having a car or garden at home and living near to a park on the propensity to be allowed out alone. Then it considers how being allowed out alone affects the amount of time children spend outdoors, playing with friends and watching television. The paper then uses data from children who have been fitted with physical activity monitors and GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) monitors and asked to keep diaries, to show how children's travel behaviour differs when they are with adults from when they are not. (2007)

 

A-Z Listing

 

  • Physical Activity and Adolescent Girls
    This is a summary of a research study undertaken for NHS Health Scotland to examine the current and emerging needs of the workforce involved in promoting physical activity to adolescent girls.  November 2008

 

  • Physical Activity and the Environment - Nice
    This guidance offers the first national, evidence-based recommendations on how to improve the physical environment to encourage physical activity. It demonstrates the importance of such improvements and the need to evaluate how they impact on the public's health. (2008)

  • Physical Activity, Young People and the Physical Environment
    - Irish Heart Foundation, National Heart Alliance
    The National Heart Alliance is a independent non-governmental organision, which aims to increase co-operation among organisations involved in the fight against heart disease.
    Points from the Executive Summary include: regular physical activity benefits young people's health and well-being; one in every five young people are overweight or obese; youths use poorly connected streets for play and physical activity; parental concerns regarding traffic volume and speed restrict children's walking, cycling and play; young people are more active when they have convenient, good quality, affordable facilities for physical activity and play. (2006)

  • Poverty and Obesity - MRC Human Nutrition Research
    Many health disparities in the United States are linked to inequalities in education and income. This review focuses on the relation between obesity and diet quality, dietary energy density, and energy costs. Evidence is provided to support the following points.  (2004)

  • Promoting physical activity for children and young people - NICE Promoting physical activity, active play and sport for pre-school and school-age children and young people in family, pre-school, school and community settings. (2009)

  • Reggio Project - Studio UK
    The research approach into play+ soft.  Rsearch into children's environments and learning styles calls for a closer collaboration between designers and pedagogy, so that these environments can respond to children and and the furnishings themselves can become tools for learning and exploration.

  • Scottish response from the Play Scotland Consultation Day to the UK Play Review (2003)

  • Setting children free: children's independent movement in the local environment - UCL
    Parental concerns about children's safety and security are restricting children's independent exploration of the local environment. Children are being denied important opportunities to exercise, to acquire decision-making skills, such as crossing the road safely, and to develop social skills through interaction with their peers. This paper presents findings from the project CAPABLE (Children's Activities, Perceptions And Behaviour in the Local Environment) being carried out at University College London. Based on findings from fieldwork carried out with children aged 8-11 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, the paper shows the effect of factors such as the number of adults at home, having an older sibling, having a car or garden at home and living near to a park on the propensity to be allowed out alone. Then it considers how being allowed out alone affects the amount of time children spend outdoors, playing with friends and watching television. The paper then uses data from children who have been fitted with physical activity monitors and GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) monitors and asked to keep diaries, to show how children's travel behaviour differs when they are with adults from when they are not. (2007)

  • Scottish Health Survey 2003 - Scottish Executive

  • Scottish Lifestyle Organised Sports and Health - University of Aberdeen
    The aim of the present study is to recruit and follow cohorts of children through primary school, monitoring their behaviour and to measure markers of their health throughout this time. The key lifestyle variables that we are interested in relate to physical activity and inactivity - these include things such as walking to school, TV viewing, playing computergames etc and particularly participation in organised sports (both in and outside the school). We will also make some measurements of diet, but this is a secondary factor in our study. Lifestyle variables (activity and diet) will be monitored by questionnaires distributed to the children and to their parents. (2006)

  • Scottish Play Commission - Play Scotland
    In October 2007 Play Scotland received lottery funding to establish the Scottish Play Commission.  This was to examine the 'state of play' in Scotland.  In June 2008 Play Scotland launched the Findings of the Scottish Play Commission at the Scottish Parliament.   (2008)

  • Scottish Young Peoples Response to the UK Play Review
    Play Scotland research held at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh, 2003.

  • Supporting Looked After Children and Young People at School: A Scottish Case Study
    - Scottish Government
    This piece of research examined the arrangements for supporting looked after children in schools, including the transfer of information between social work and education, and the role of the designated senior manager with responsibility for looked after children.  (2008)

  • Television and language development in the early years: a review of the literature - NLT
    This literature review investigates the relationship between television and language development in children from birth to age five. (2004)

  • The Business of Children's Play: Spaces of Empowerment? Of Control? Of Social Exclusion? 
    In recent years, private sector provision of young children's leisure space has grown rapidly. Recent developments include restaurants adding-on children's play areas (e.g. Whitbread's Brewer's Fayre, Allied Domeq's Wacky Warehouse), retail outlets creating play zones within their stores (e.g. Kid's HQ at Lewis's), the growth of unipurpose indoor adventure playgrounds (e.g. Alphabet Zoo), the opening of theme parks specifically for young children (e.g. Gulliver's parks) and the establishment of Family Leisure Centres with designated children's play areas (e.g. First Leisure). The scale and context of provision for children has been transformed. These developments have also altered the geography of childhood and children's spaces. Thus, spaces for children are being created in the central cores of urban areas and other previously 'adult' domains. The business of children's play is becoming an integral part of central business districts throughout urban Britain and beyond as motorway service stations and theme parks in the countryside attend to the perceived leisure needs of young children.  (1998)

  • The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
    This international report from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) World Health Organization collaborative cross-national study is the most comprehensive to date. It presents the key findings on patterns of health among young people in 41 countries and regions across Europe and North America. The document presents a status report on health, health-related behaviour and the social contexts of young people's health in 2005/2006 and provides the latest evidence from a unique cross-national study on the well-being of young people in industrialized nations. It is the fourth in a series of international reports from the HBSC study published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the "Health policy for children and adolescents" (HEPCA) series. In addition to presenting key statistics on young people's health, this report has a special focus on health inequalities. It presents data on gender, age and geographic and socioeconomic dimensions of health differentials. The aim of the report is to highlight where inequalities exist in aspects of young people's health and well-being in order to inform and influence policy and practice and to contribute to health improvement for all young people.

  • The Health Implications of Sedentary Behaviour
    This briefing paper looks at the evidence base and discusses the health implications of sedentary behviour. Includes practical examples and case study.

 

  • The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds - American Academy of Pediatrics
    Play is essential to development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional wellbeing of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children. Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children. This report addresses a variety of factors that have reduced play, including a hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, and increased attention to academics and enrichment activities at the expense of recess or free child-centered play. This report offers guidelines on how pediatricians can advocate for children by helping families, school systems, and communities consider how best to ensure play is protected as they seek the balance in children's lives to create the optimal developmental milieu.  (2006)

  • Time for Playful Learning - LegoLearning
    A cross-cultural study of parental values and attitude's toward children's time for play. (2002)