Children and outdoor play.

Only about half of preschoolers were taken outside to play at least once a day by a parent. . . . Being a girl, of nonwhite race/ethnicity and having a mother who worked part or full time were factors decreasing the likelihood of playing outside at least once day with a parent. AS A RESULT of the current focus on the obesity epidemic, the benefits of physical activity are being more widely discussed. A new study reveals that approximately half of all preschool-aged children are not being taken outside to play each day (Tandon, Zhou, & Christakis, 2012). Clinicians are advised by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle, which includes playing outdoors frequently, and according to the AAP, participating in physical activities by playing and playing outdoors is beneficial for mental health, vitamin D levels, motor development, vision, and cognition. The researchers examined data of 8,950 preschool-aged children from the Early Child Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort, a nationally representative study that tracks children born in 2001. The researchers used parent's reports on how many physical activities their children had. They found that 51% of children went outside to walk or play at least one time per day with either parent, whereas 58% of children who were not in child care went outside on a daily basis. The researchers found that being a boy, having physically active parents, and having more regular playmates were linked to going outdoors at least one time per day. Girls were 16% less likely than boys their age to be taken outside by their parents to play. Asian, Black, and Hispanic mothers were less likely to take their children outside on a daily basis than White mothers (49%, 41%, and 20%, respectively). No significant connection was found between the mother's marital status, child's television viewing, parent perceptions of neighborhood safety, and household income with the frequency of outdoor play. Overall, 60% of mothers worked outside the home, and 79% exercised less than 4 days a week. Most of the children (80%) spent time in nonparental daycare—an average of 28.5 hours a week. Only 44% of mothers and