IMAGES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF CHRONICALLY ILL SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN

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.