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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guy Faulkner

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Guest Editor

Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Interests: the development and evaluation of physical activity interventions; physical activity and mental health

Dr. Manuel Herrador-Colmenero

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Department of Corporal, Plastic, and Musical Expression, La Inmaculada Teacher Training Centre, University of Granada, 18013 Granada, Spain
Interests: physical activity; commuting; independent mobility; childhood; intervention programs; educational strategies; school
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Department of Corporal, Plastic, and Musical Expression, La Inmaculada Teacher Training Centre, University of Granada, 18013 Granada, Spain
Interests: physical activity; active commuting; physical education; education; school; independent mobility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Childhood independent mobility refers to a child’s “freedom to travel around their own neighbourhood or city without adult supervision”, and it may play a vital role in helping children and youth to achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Independent mobility may also provide children with other social, cognitive, and personal development benefits. However, over recent decades, there has been a global decline in levels of childhood independent mobility. Arresting this decline is an important public health goal, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of this Special Issue on “Independent Mobility: Exploring Children’s Freedom to Travel and Play without Adult Supervision” is to showcase global research advancing understanding of the correlates, determinants, and benefits of childhood independent mobility and interventions for supporting children to be independently mobile. We welcome novel studies using a variety of methods including qualitative or quantitative, longitudinal approaches, alongside natural experiments, controlled trials, and systematic reviews. The listed keywords suggest just a few of the many possibilities.

Prof. Dr. Guy Faulkner
Dr. Manuel Herrador-Colmenero
Dr. Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

independent mobility
autonomy
outdoor play
physical activity
active travel
childhood
risk taking
built environment
parents
public health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Children’s Independent Mobility and Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study with Families

by Chelsea A. Pelletier, Katie Cornish and Caroline Sanders

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4481; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18094481 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 5727

Abstract

Children’s independent mobility (CIM) is the freedom of children to move around their neighbourhood without adult supervision and is closely related to overall physical activity participation. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted movement behaviours for children, with evidence indicating a decrease in physical activity. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of CIM and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of children and their parents. We completed 21 family (at least one parent and one child aged 7–12) semi-structured interviews with 45 participants living in small urban and rural areas of British Columbia, Canada. Three themes were identified through a reflexive thematic analysis: (1) keeping everyone safe from COVID-19; (2) change in pattern and types of activity; (3) social impacts with family, friends, and community. Participants expressed a perceived increase in unstructured activity and a decrease in structured physical activity during the pandemic, which many parents viewed as a positive change. Parents and children indicated negative feelings due to spending less time with peers and reflected positively about spending more time with family. Parents and children expressed fear and anxiety in trying to keep their families safe from virus spread and creativity in adapting play behaviours. Findings highlight the impact of the pandemic on social friendship networks for families and a shift in activity patterns for children toward unstructured play. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Independent Mobility: Exploring Children’s Freedom to Travel and Play without Adult Supervision)

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 691 KiB

Open AccessReview

Social-Ecological Correlates of Children’s Independent Mobility: A Systematic Review

by Negin A. Riazi, Kelly Wunderlich, Lira Yun, Derek C. Paterson and Guy Faulkner

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1604; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19031604 - 30 Jan 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4311

Abstract

Children’s independent mobility (IM) is associated with a range of benefits and understanding the factors that influence IM can support creation of effective interventions. The review (Prospero CRD42016042174) systematically summarized the available literature for social-ecological correlates of children’s IM in school-aged children and youth (aged 5–17 years). In this case, 53 studies were included and evaluated six individual, 15 interpersonal, 12 social environment, and 19 built environment- level variables. Most studies originated from Australia (n = 15) and Canada (n = 8) with most published in 2011 or later (n = 48). Variables that were consistently (positively and/or negatively) associated with children’s IM were age, ethnicity/race, child’s perceived competence, ownership of a house/access to house keys, having siblings, parents’ attitude toward IM and perception of child’s confidence, children’s interest in environment and activities, parents’ concern around traffic, housing/residential density, length of residency in one’s home, distance to destinations, and proximity to green space. Given the inter-related social-ecological correlates identified, intervention to promote children’s IM will likely need a multi-level and multi-sectoral approach. However, focus areas of building children’s skills and confidence, helping parents gain confidence in their children’s abilities, assuaging parental traffic concerns, and building environments with shorter distances to destinations of interest for children should be prioritized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Independent Mobility: Exploring Children’s Freedom to Travel and Play without Adult Supervision)

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