B. Holaday et al., IMAGES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF CHRONICALLY ILL SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN, Environment and behavior, 29(3), 1997, pp. 348-373
This article deals with chronically ill schoolage children and their p
arents' perceptions of their neighborhood. Three hundred and sixty-fiv
e chronically ill children (ages 10 through 12) were interviewed about
their neighborhood. The children described aspects of their neighborh
ood that they liked and disliked, and their activity patterns alone an
d with peers. The parents also evaluated neighborhood safety. Regressi
on analysis was used to identify parent- and child-reported items that
may have influenced images of neighborhood safety. The findings demon
strate that chronically ill children's activity patterns in their neig
hborhoods are Influenced by child factors (perception of the neighborh
ood and its safety, gender, type of illness) and by parental factors (
perception of neighborhood safety, income, home ownership). The findin
gs also suggest that the patterns of interaction of chronically ill ch
ildren with their neighborhood may be a source of developmental risk.