Authors

Azucena Santillán García, Sergio R. López Alonso, Elena Sánchez Villar, Cadidjato Balde Balde, Clara Espinosa Jiménez, Almudena Arroyo Rodríguez

Position

1 Hospital Universitario de Burgos. Universidad Internacional de Valencia. España.2 Centro Universitario de Enfermería “San Juan de Dios”, Universidad de Sevilla. Servicio de Urgencias de Atención Primaria. Distrito Sanitario Málaga. Servicio Andaluz de Salud. Málaga. España.3 Centro Universitario de Enfermería “San Juan de Dios”.  Universidad de Sevilla. España. 

Contact email: ebevidencia@gmail.com

Abstract

Objectives: the objectives were to describe the situation of public parks for children in Spain, to explore the perception of users, and the changes in leisure derived of this measure.

Methods: a study was conducted at national level with mixed methodology, with a massive sample selection to answer an ad hoc online survey, in November 2020. The sample included 3,034 subjects. Quantitative data analysis was descriptive, with calculation of measures of frequencies and absolute/ cumulative percentages, as well as the inferential analysis using the Chi-square test, supported by the SPSS 19.0 package. Data for qualitative analysis were obtained from the open question. Categories and sub-categories were identified, and the 978 records were assigned by pairs.

Results: statistically significant differences were observed between age groups: the <45-year-old group was estimated to answer 1.5 times more that this was not a necessary measure. There were no differences between having a <14 years old child or not or regarding gender in order to think whether the measure was necessary or not. The categories retrieved, in favour or against the closure of playgrounds, were not associated with gender or age, and not even with having children <14 years of age or not.

Conclusions: the Spanish population disapproves of the closure of public parks for children as a measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic supported by scientific criteria; there is a negative perception due to its consequences regarding children’s health and wellbeing.

Keywords:

coronavirus; pandemic; Public Health and the environment; advocacy for children; public policies

Versión en Español

Título:

Opiniones y discursos sobre el cierre de los parques infantiles por la pandemia COVID-19