Parental permission for children's independent outdoor activities - Implications for injury prevention

Background: Parental supervision is an important factor related to childhood injuries. However, little research has been done on; what outdoor activities children believe they are allowed or their parents allow them to do; parents' ideas about the age children can do activities, and the age they would allow their children to do them. This study described children's independent outdoor activities after-school, comparing age groups (school year 5 and 3), boys with girls, and the less socio-economically well off with the better off. Methods: A cross-sectional study using questionnaires completed by 476 children aged seven and nine years and 471 parents in nine primary schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. Results: Children reported they were permitted many outdoor activities such as cycling (78.8%), playing (78.6%) and roller skating in the street (62.7%). Parents of older children, boys, and more socio-economically deprived children were more likely than their comparison groups to allow children to do outdoor activities independently e.g. 34% of 9-year-olds were allowed to cross a road without an adult compared with 8% of 7-year-olds. Mostly, parents of boys and socio-economically deprived children, perceived children can do outdoor activities slightly younger than parents of girls and the socio-economically better off. Conclusion: Children and parents value and support children's independent outdoor activity. Differences in children's and parents' understanding of what activities are permissible and in their judgements about the appropriate age for children's independent activities, may partly underline variations by sex, age and socio-economic status in injury patterns.