Healthy habits and healthy spaces : children’s views on their use of time and space

Abstract

Children’s views on their use of leisure time and community space for play, socialising and physical exercise, and how satisfied they are with the quality of such time and space, constitute a critical aspect of the study of children’s wellbeing. This chapter presents the findings of two studies, one quantitative and one qualitative, on the views of Maltese children on their use of free time and the relevant spaces and facilities available for them in the community. The first section presents the findings of a survey with a representative sample of 8–12 year old children, examining their views on how they spend their leisure time and on the quality of the spaces and facilities available for them for play, leisure time and other activities in their communities. The second section explores children’s views on these issues in more depth through the use of focus groups with a small number of children. The final section discusses the findings from the two studies, concluding with the need to listen to the voice of children in seeking to improve their use of time and community space to enhance their quality of life and wellbeing.