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How can you tell if something has changed over time? If you want to know, for example, how tall you have grown since you were 6 years old, what information do you need? If you said that you need to know how tall you were at age 6, you are right! Without a beginning point with which to compare later measures, it is impossible to accurately track change. Scientists call this beginning number a baseline.

All of us use baselines. Let’s say your height was not recorded at age 6. How would you know whether you have grown since that age? You might have to begin with your height at age 7. Or, you could take the average of your height at age 5 and age 7, although an average would not be as accurate as having your actual height at age 6. Without a baseline, scientists, or you, cannot say for sure whether or how much something has changed.

The scientists in this study were interested in how much time kids spend outdoors. They wanted to know how the amount of time has changed over the years. The scientists discovered, however, that a baseline had not been established. In this study, therefore, they wanted to establish a baseline for how much time kids like you spend outdoors.

What activities do you think about when you think about spending time outdoors? Some people think of doing things such as biking, camping, fishing, swimming, or bird watching, as well as many other activities (figure 2). Activities like these may benefit people. Some scientists believe that spending time outdoors may help people be healthier. Spending time outdoors may also help people develop an appreciation for nature and conservation. Some scientists believe that spending any amount of time outdoors is good for kids, and certain activities may provide more benefits than others. Studies have shown that outdoor physical activities are especially important for kids trying to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Spending time outdoors may have positive benefits for people of all ages, including kids (figure 3). Because of these benefits, getting kids outdoors has become a main goal for many groups and organizations. During the past several years, however, scientists have noticed something interesting. Some research has shown that kids are spending less time outdoors than in previous years. Few of these research studies, however, looked at kids’ time outdoors across the entire United States. In addition, many of these studies focused on how much time kids spent doing certain activities. These studies did not focus on how much time kids just spent outdoors overall, regardless of what they were doing.

People have looked for reasons why kids might not be going outdoors as much as they once did. One possible reason is the increasing use of electronic media and technology, such as the Internet and video games. Some researchers point out, however, that kids may be using cell phones and other electronic media outdoors. These researchers wonder how much media use affects the amount of time kids spend outdoors. The effect that electronic media and technology have on kids’ time outdoors, therefore, is not known.

You may recall that previous studies had not looked at kids across the entire Nation. These studies also did not focus on time spent outdoors but on nature-based activities done outdoors. The scientists in this study wanted to do research to fill in these gaps.

To answer their question of how much time kids are spending outdoors, the scientists first needed to establish a baseline for understanding change in the amount of time kids spend outdoors. In addition to creating a baseline, the scientists wanted to understand what kids do outdoors.

The scientists called their study the National Kids Survey. The National Kids Survey examined three main areas. These areas are—

1. The amount of time kids spend outdoors.
2. The outdoor activities in which kids participate.
3. The reasons kids are not spending more time outdoors.

The scientists wanted to know how the amount of time spent outdoors varies among kids from different demographic groups. The scientists hoped that this study would help other scientists. They also wanted to help recreation managers understand kids’ time outdoors.

The study took place from September 2007 to August 2009. The scientists surveyed 1,450 kids ages 6–19 across the United States. It would have taken too much time and money to interview all of the millions of kids across the country. Because the scientists could not ask all kids in the United States their questions, they used a random sample of kids from across the country.

A computer generated a list of random telephone numbers. Calling random telephone numbers helped ensure the results weren’t biased (figure 4).The scientists asked to interview the family member age 6–19 with the most recent birthday. Kids between the ages of 16–19 were interviewed directly. Younger kids between the ages of 6–15 had a proxy speak for them (see the sidebar to find out what a proxy is).

The scientists and other partners at the University of Tennessee asked the survey participants questions about time spent outdoors. These questions included the amount of time kids spent outdoors during the past week, common outdoor activities, and reasons for not spending more time outdoors. To learn more about the individual, the scientists also asked for demographic information, such as the individual’s gender, age, and ethnicity.

Most kids in the survey, regardless of their age or gender, spent time outdoors daily. In fact, more than 50 percent of kids surveyed spent 4 or more hours outdoors on weekends. Kids ages 6–12 spent more time outdoors on weekends than kids ages 13–19. Kids ages 13–15 spent more time outdoors on weekdays than 10- to12-year-olds. Less than 5 percent of kids ages 10–15 reported spending no time outdoors (figures 5a and 5b).

Overall, boys spent more time outdoors than girls. Both boys and girls, however, spent more time outdoors on the weekends than during the week (figures 6 and 7).

On weekdays, scientists found that 67.6 percent of boys spent 2 or more hours outdoors, whereas only 57 percent of girls spent 2 or more hours outdoors. On the weekends, 81.4 percent of the boys spent at least 2 hours outdoors per day compared with 74.9 percent of girls.

The most common outdoor activities for kids of all ages were:

• Playing or just hanging out (figure 8a).
• Biking, jogging, walking, skateboarding, etc.
• Listening to music, watching movies, or using electronic devices (figure 8b).

Nature-based activities, such as bird watching and wildlife viewing or hiking, camping, and fishing, were not as common as other activities (figures 9a and 9b).

Younger kids played or hung out and participated in physical activities more than older kids. Older kids used electronic devices outdoors more than younger kids. Kids ages 13–15 played or practiced team sports more than other age groups, and they participated less in reading or studying outdoors. Nature-based activities were more common for 10- to 12-year-olds than for 13- to 15-year-olds.

Boys were more likely than girls to go outdoors to play or hang out; take part in team sports; and ride motorcycles, ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), or other off-road vehicles. Girls were more likely to be outdoors reading or studying.

The main reasons kids did not spend more time outdoors were:

• Listening to music, creating art, or reading indoors.
• Watching TV, DVDs, or playing video games indoors.
• Using electronic media such as Internet and texting indoors.
• Participating in indoor sports.

Watching TV, DVDs, or playing video games indoors was the most common reason boys did not spend more time outdoors. These activities were also common reasons 10- to 15-year-old boys and girls did not go outdoors. For girls, listening to music, creating art, reading, playing on the Internet, and text messaging indoors were the most common reasons for not going outdoors.

Technology also affected the amount of time kids spent outdoors. Kids with either a TV or computer in their room (or both) spent less time outdoors on the weekend than kids who did not have a TV or computer in their room.

The results of the National Kids Survey suggest that kids go outdoors more than some people believe. Previous surveys have tended to focus on specific outdoor activities, such as camping, fishing, hiking, and hunting. This survey showed that if you widen the set of outdoor activities to include general activities, kids spend more time outdoors than previously thought.

Older kids participate in outdoor recreation activities less than younger kids. Scientists believe this may reflect the lifestyle of older kids, who have less free time and more responsibilities, such as school or work. Older kids might also be more likely to participate in indoor social activities. The scientists suggest that recreation professionals could encourage older kids to spend time outdoors through programs that focus on social interactions.

The indoor use of electronic devices such as the Internet, TV, or video games, was one of the main reasons given for kids not spending more time outdoors (figure 10). Some people are concerned that technology and electronic media will continue to affect the amount of time kids spend outdoors. Technology and the outdoors, however, can be combined through activities such as geocaching. (Find out more about geocaching in the sidebar.)

Surveys like the National Kids Survey can be useful in helping to understand kids’ time outdoors.

Organizations involved in getting kids outdoors can use this information to better understand how kids spend time outdoors. Such information can help them plan outdoor activities and experiences for kids across the country.