18/12/2007

Results from the CAPABLE Project led by Roger Mackett from UCL's Centre for Transport Studies and involving CASA, Bartlett Planning, The Young Foundation and Psychology are published in the current edition of Built Environment and reported in the Daily Mail. Click on for the story.

Extracted from the Daily Mail web site:

Children who play unsupervised turn out fitter and more sociable, study says By LAURA CLARK, 19th December 2007

Play on, play on: Unsupervised children burn off more energy and have more fun than their supervised peers. Children who are let out to play unsupervised grow up to be healthier and more sociable, a study reveals. Letting youngsters explore their surroundings without an adult present is "one of the best things a parent can do for their child's physical health and personal development", researchers claim. Yet nearly half of youngsters aged between eight and 11 are never allowed to leave the house alone and just under a fifth are allowed out only if an adult is present. Around a quarter can go out unsupervised if they have a friend or older sibling with them. ………….

Professor Roger Mackett, who led the study, said: "Allowing children to leave the house without an accompanying adult has significant benefits. The health benefits are clear, but without action the less tangible benefits of increased independence and self-reliance will be lost. That may be a very great loss with many implications."

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