This article deals with chronically ill schoolage children and their parents' perceptions of their neighborhood. Three hundred and sixty-five chronically ill children (ages 10 through 12) were interviewed about their neighborhood. The children described aspects of their neighborhood that they liked and disliked, and their activity pattems alone and with peers. The parents also evaluated neighborhood safety. Regression analysis was used to identify parentand child-reported items that may have influenced images of neighborhood safety. The findings demonstrate that chronically ill children's activity patterns in their neighborhoods are influenced by child factors (perception of the neighborhood and its safety, gender, type of illness) and by parental factors (perception of neighborhood safety, income, home ownership). The findings also suggest that the patterns of interaction of chronically ill children with their neighborhood may be a source of developmental risk.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bar-Or, O. (Ed.). (1989). Advances in pediatric sports sciences (Vol. 2). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
2.
Bar-Or, O. (Ed.). (1993). Effects of training on the child with a chronic disease: Beauty and the beast?Clinical Joumal of Sports Medicine, 3, 2-5.
3.
Blakely, K. S. (1994). Parents' conceptions of social dangers to children in the urban environment. Children's Environments, 11(1), 16-25.
4.
Breslau, N. (1985). Psychiatric disorder in children with physical disabilities. Joumal of American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 87-94.
5.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
6.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta, (Ed.), Annals of child development (pp. 187-249). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
7.
Bryant, B. K. (1985). The neighborhood walk: Sources of support in middle childhood. Monographs of the society for research in child development, 50(3), Serial No. 210.
8.
Cadman, P. , Boyle, M., & Szatmari, R (1987). Chronic illness disability, and mental health and social well-being: Findings of the Ontario child healthy study. Pediatrics, 79, 805-813.
9.
Coates, G. , & Bussard, E. (1974). Patterns of children's spatial behavior in a moderatedensity housing development. In D. H. Carson (Ed.), Man-environmentinteractons: Evaluations and applications (Part 3, pp. 131-142). New York: John Wiley.
10.
Dishman, R. K. , Sallis, J. G., & Orenstein, D. (1985). The determinants of physical activity and exercise. Public Health Reports, 100, 158-171.
11.
Francis, M. (1985). Children's use of open space in village homes. Children's Environments Quarterly, 1(4), 36-48.
12.
Garbarino, J. , & Panitz, M. (1980). Urban children and urban environments. New York: ERIC Institute for Urban Educators.
13.
Gilliam, T. B. (1988). Coronary heart disease risk in children and their physical actvity patterns. In R. A. Baileau (Ed.), Advances in Pediatric Sport Sciences (Vol. 1). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
14.
Gortmaker, S. L. , Walker, D., Weitzman, M., & Sobol, A. M. (1990). Chronic conditions, socioeconomic nsks, and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 85, 267-276.
15.
Hart, C. H. (1993). Children on playgrounds: Research perspectives and applications. Albany: State University of New York Press.
16.
Hart, R. (1979). Children's experience of place. New York: John Wiley.
17.
Hobbs, N. , Perrin, J., & Ireys, H. T. (1985). Chronicallyill children and theirfamilies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
18.
Holaday, B. , & Turner-Henson, A. (1989). Response effects in surveys with school-age children. Nursing Research, 38, 248-250.
19.
Holaday, B. , Turner-Henson, A., & Swan, J. (1991). Stability of schoolage children's survey responses. Image: The Joumal of Nursing Scholarship, 23,109-114.
20.
Holaday, B. , Tumer-Henson, A., & Swan, J. (in press). Johnson behavioral system model: Explaining activities of chronically ill children. In R Hinton-Walker & B. Newman (Eds.), Blueprint for use of nursing models. New York: NLN Press.
21.
Jackson, R L. , & Vessey, J. (1996). Primary care of children with a chronic condition (2nd ed). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
22.
Lavigne, J. V. , & Faire-Routman, J. (1992). Psychological adjustment to pediatric physical disorders: A meta-analytic review. Joumal of Pediatric Psychology, 17, 133-157.
23.
Lennard, H. L. , & Lennard, S. H. (1992). Children in public places: Some lessons from European cities. Children's Environments, 9(2), 37-39.
24.
Loutzenhiser, J. , & Clark, R. (1993). Physical activity and exercise in children with cystic fibrosis. Joumal of Pediatric Nursing, 8, 112-119.
25.
Mayer, S. E. , & Jencks, C. (1989). Growing up in poor neighborhoods: How much does it matter?Science, 243,1441-1445.
26.
Mayo, L. (1956). Problem and challenge: Guides to action on chronic illness. New York: National Health.
27.
Mead, M. (1966). Neighborhoods and human needs. Ekisrics, 123, 124-126.
28.
Medrich, E. , Roizen, J., Rubin, V., & Buckley, S. (1982). The serious business of growing up: A study of children's lives outside of school. Berkeley: University of California Press.
29.
Merry, S. (1981). Urban danger: Life in a neighborhood of strangers. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
30.
Moore, R. C. (1986). Childhood's domain: Playandplace in child development. London: Croom Heling.
31.
Moore, R. W. , & Young, D. (1978). Childhood outdoors: Toward a social ecology of the landscape. In I. Altmans & J. F. Wohlwill (Eds.), Children and the environment. New York: Plenum.
32.
Morris, P. , & Hess, K. (1975). Neighborhood power: The newlocalism. Boston: Beacon.
33.
Newacheck, R W. , & Taylor, W. R. (1992). Childhood chronic illness: Prevalence, severity and impact. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 364-371.
34.
Noschis, K. (1992). Child development theory and planning for neighborhood play. Children's Environments, 9(2), 3-9.
35.
Perrin, J. M. (1986). Chronically ill children: An overview. Topics in eariy childhood special education, 5,1-11.
36.
Piaget, J. (1947). The psychology of intelligence. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
37.
Pless, I. B. , Power, C., & Peckham, C. S. (1993). Long-term psychosocial sequelae of chronic physical disorders in childhood. Pediatrics, 91, 1131-1136.
38.
Proshansky, H. M. , & Fabian, A. K. (1987). The development of place identity in the child. In C. S. Weinstein & T. G. David (Eds.), Spaces forchildren. New York: Plenum.
39.
Rimmer, J. H. (1994). Fitness and rehabilitation programs for special populations. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.
40.
Sallis, J. , Simmons-Morton, B., & Stone, F. (1992). Determinants of physical activity and interventions in youth. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24, 524-525.
41.
Schiavo, R. S. (1988). Age differences in assessment and use of a suburban neighborhood among children and adolescents. Children's Environments Quarterly, 5(2), 4-9.
42.
Stein, R. , & Jessop, D. J. (1981). What a diagnosis does not tell: The case for a noncategorical approach to chronic illness in childhood. Social Science Medicine, 29, 769-778.
43.
Taylor, W. R. , & Newacheck, P. W. (1992). Impact of childhood asthma on health. Pediatrics, 90, 657-662.
44.
Turner-Henson, A. , Holaday, B., & Corser, N. (1994). The experiences of discrimination: Challenges for chronically ill children. Pediatric Nursing, 20, 571-577.
45.
Turner-Henson, A. , Holaday, B., & O'Sullivan, P. (1992). Sampling rare pediatric populations. Joumal of Pediatric Nursing, 7, 329-334.
46.
van Andel, J. (1990). Places children like, dislike and fear. Children's Environments Quarterly, 7(4), 24-31.
47.
van Vliet-, W. (1981). Neighborhood evaluations by city and suburban children. American Planning Association Joumal, 47,458-466.
48.
van Vliet-, W. (1983). Exploring the fourth environment: An examination of the home range of city and suburban teenagers. Environment and Behavior, 15, 539-588.
49.
Weiland, S. K. , Pless, I. B., & Roughman, K. J. (1992). Chronic illness and mental health problems in pediatric practice. Pediatrics, 89, 445-450.
50.
Weinstein, C. , & David, T. G. (1987). Spaces for children: The built environment and child development. New York: Plenum.
51.
Williams, H. (1993). A comparison of social support and social networks of Black parents and White parents with chronically ill children. Social Science Medicine, 37,1509-1520.
52.
Wohwill, J. , & Heft, H. (1987). The physical environment and development of the child. In D. Stokols & I. Altman (Eds.), Handbook of Environmental Psychology. New York: Plenum.
53.
Zenner, C. J. (1977). The street hearth of play: Children in the city. Landscape, 22(1), 9-30.
