Associations between parent–child nature visits and sleep, physical activity and weight status among finnish 3–6-year-olds

Abstract

Nature visits and nature exposure have been shown to be favorably associated with children’s health and development, but the research regarding their associations with children´s lifestyle habits is limited. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between the frequency of parent–child nature visits and sleep, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and weight status among three-to six-year-old Finnish preschoolers. Parents and their children (n = 864) participated in a cross-sectional DAGIS (increased health and wellbeing in preschools) study, which was conducted between 2015 and 2016 in Finland. In total, 798 parents answered a questionnaire on the frequency of parent–child nature visits, which also included questions on sociodemographic factors and their children´s sleep habits. Parents also reported children´s bedtimes and wake-up times and children wore an accelerometer for seven days. Trained researchers measured children´s weight and height. Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted. More frequent parent–child nature visits were associated with children´s longer sleep duration at night, higher amounts of MVPA outside preschool time and, among girls, good sleep consistency. The frequency of parent–child nature visits was not significantly associated with whether children were overweight or obese or not. Promoting parent–child nature visits could be a cost-effective way to increase young children´s MVPA and enhance night-time sleep.