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VicHealth and the Parenting Research Centre have today announced a three-year study into parental fear as a barrier to children’s’ physical activity, to pinpoint causes and find solutions.

The $600,000 study will involve one-on-one interviews with families about their children’s independence, a large statewide survey of parents, the formation of an expert advisory group and finally, initiatives to help parents overcome fears about kids walking and riding around unaccompanied.

VicHealth’s physical activity manager, Cameron McLeod, said the three-year study is extremely timely, with one in four children now classed as overweight or obese, a massive increase from just one in 20 in the 1960s.

“Over the past two weeks, 450,000 Victorian primary school aged children returned to school and the majority of those kids were ferried by car, even though we know most families live within walking distance of their schools,” Mr McLeod said.

“Previous VicHealth research has found that parents’ perceptions of stranger danger, traffic concerns and crime are the most common reasons kids don’t walk or ride to school.

“We still don’t have the answers about why fewer children are walking around their neighbourhoods than ever before, or why our society has become so hung up about risk. What we do know is that this is a real, and ultimately unhealthy, phenomenon.
“This study will do more than just uncover why some parents wrap their children in cotton wool. It’ll provide realistic solutions so that we can work with parents to get kids more active and on track to a healthier life.”

Director of Research at the Parenting Resource Centre, Professor Jan Nicholson, said as well as talking to parents, the researchers would also explore children’s views on active transport.

“We will be asking children when and how they prefer to travel, and what are the skills they need to do this safely, and combine children’s views with information from parents to learn more about what is needed to overcome concerns.

“For example, for some children, the key factor to getting more physical activity may be allowing them to practice negotiating traffic and road crossings, while for others, improving street lighting and reducing footpath hazards and traffic speed zones may be a more important.”

A previously released VicHealth survey of 1500 parents shows:

• 48 per cent of parents with children aged five to 11-years-old believe there is a high risk a child will be abducted by a stranger if allowed to walk around their neighbourhood alone.
• 62 per cent of parents believe there is too much traffic on the roads.
• 35 per cent of all participants said the streets were not safe because there is a lot of crime (Melbourne = 37%, other Victoria = 31%).
• 34 per cent of all participants say footpaths are too narrow and pose a safety risk.