Whole child taken into account with new study
If you鈥檝e ever wondered where your children go when they leave the house, just ask Jason Gilliland.
Gilliland, Urban Development Program director in The University of Western Ontario鈥檚 Faculty of Geography, takes a unique approach with his research looking at environmental influences on children鈥檚 health issues.
鈥淥ur work is based on the idea that where you live matters. We鈥檝e all heard the saying 鈥榊ou are what you eat,鈥� but it鈥檚 also true that you are where you live,鈥� Gilliland says. His research analyzes the way communities are designed, looking specifically at potential barriers the built environment poses to healthy living.
One of the ways Gilliland studies these barriers is by tracking the movement of children in the London area.
As part of the Spatio-Temporal Exposure and Activity Monitoring (STEAM) project, Gilliland followed a sample of 80 children living in different London neighborhoods for one week in the winter and another week in the spring. Children were outfitted with a portable GPS, accelerometer and air pollution monitor to measure their physical activity and exposure to pollution in different areas.
Gilliland鈥檚 study is the first in the world which has combined GPS tracking and accelerometer readings with an air pollution monitor. 鈥淏y identifying where they鈥檙e exposed to these healthy or unhealthy things we can map the information and tell kids, parents and principals where the safer areas are.鈥�
The study focused on children in Grades 5-8, specifically because of the age group鈥檚 level of independence and mobility. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a critical age when kids start to make their own decisions and can to walk to school on their own,鈥� Gilliland says. Recruiting willing participants wasn鈥檛 a problem as researchers were met with a high level of enthusiasm. 鈥淭hey loved to do it, everyone wanted to be included. There were actually more volunteers than we had equipment to facilitate.鈥�
Surveys and interviews with children and their parents were part of the study鈥檚 mixed methodology approach. Gilliland emphasizes the importance of giving children the opportunity to express their opinions about the neighborhoods where they live. 鈥淐hildren see things differently than we do,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y kids inspire me. They give me a new lens through which to view the city, pointing things out that I would never see because I鈥檓 not 8 years old.鈥�
Going beyond the level of academic research and getting evidence into the hands of policymakers is an important goal for Gilliland. 鈥淎 lot of researchers write articles to be published in journals for other academics to read, but I want to reach the city planners,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about moving research off the shelf and providing policymakers with evidence they can use when making important decisions.鈥�
Gilliland鈥檚 main initiative is to improve children鈥檚 health and quality of life by informing the people who have the power to intervene, whether that means building more parks, changing junk food policies at schools or creating local farmers markets. The next step will be a larger study of more than 1,000 children from all over southwestern Ontario. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring work,鈥� he says, 鈥淚 really love what I do.鈥�
Provided by University of Western Ontario
