Sex Differences in the Play Equipment Found in Australian Children’s Homes

Abstract

The play equipment present in children’s homes has previously been associated with their physical activity levels. This study aimed to describe sex differences in the play equipment found in Australian children’s homes. Data were from the Mothers and their Children’s Health study and the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health that included 5314 children from 2805 families. Families were divided based on number of siblings (only child vs siblings) and by their sex composition (all girls, all boys, mixed). For only children, this was further stratified by age. The percentage of families with each type of play equipment was calculated. Differences were determined through non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals. Play equipment was present in a higher percentage of homes with siblings than only children. For families with siblings, a higher percentage of homes with all boys or mixed sex siblings had bats/racquets/golf clubs and skateboards/ripsticks than homes with all girls, whereas skipping ropes were found in a higher percentage of families with all girls and mixed siblings than all boys. A higher percentage of homes with all girls had slides/swings than homes with all boys. For only children, there were no sex differences in play equipment for children < 2 years, 1 difference for children aged 2–4 years, and 3 differences for children > 5 years. Given that these sex differences could affect children’s physical activity levels, future research should consider these contextual differences to create inclusive spaces for children to explore their interests without having specific toys or equipment imposed on them.