The Role of Physical Features of the Schoolyard in Increasing Children’s Physical Activity, Viewpoints of 8–12-year-old Students in Tehran City, Iran

Children spend long hours in the school’s interior space and do various physical activities; therefore, a considerable part of physical activities and playing is done in the schoolyard. Children's play and physical activities will decrease if the schoolyard does not provide a suitable space for physical activities. Such a decline in physical activity is harmful to children's health. The extant study aims to investigate the effect of the schoolyard's physical features on children's physical activity. This is a quantitative-qualitative study that assesses children's viewpoints about schoolyard features by using a questionnaire. The studied statistical society comprised 8-12-year-old children in Tehran City, Iran. Sampling was done through multistage cluster sampling, and 120 children from selected areas participated in the survey voluntarily. The data of the considered age group of children were collected through a children-specific researcher-made questionnaire. After the data were gathered, the importance of each criterion was determined based on the t-test, and then the components were ranked. According to the results of ranking environmental subfactors affecting physical activity, "light" was the most prior criterion with the highest mean value rather than other criteria. This criterion was followed by legibility, flooring safety, shape diversity, and playground safety with the highest effect on children's physical activity in the schoolyard. Collective space obtained the next rank and group activity was at the last rank. Three factors were derived using factor analysis after determining the role and importance of the environment in children's activities. The environmental and spatial factors affecting physical activity included "attractiveness," "sociability," and "playability" of the environment. One can improve the children's activity and health by considering of mentioned factors in the design process of outdoors in schools.