Neighborhood safety and adolescent health and functioning outcomes: The mediating role of access to outdoor play in childhood

Research demonstrates that play is promotive of children’s holistic health and development. However, environmental threats at the neighborhood level impede children’s right to safe and accessible outdoor play. The current study utilizes data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,441) to evaluate the longitudinal relation between neighborhood safety in early childhood and health and functioning outcomes in adolescence. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted. Results indicated that neighborhood risk in early childhood predicted poorer health and functioning outcomes in adolescence, though this finding varied by perceived versus observed report and developmental domain. Outdoor play was not found to be a mediator. Neighborhood collective efficacy significantly predicted play in middle childhood, as well as mental health and social functioning outcomes in adolescence. Outdoor play mediated the association between neighborhood collective efficacy and adolescent physical activity and anxiety. No moderation was found. Research and policy implications are discussed.