2025 position statement on active outdoor play: Why, how and what
Abstract
Background: The 2015 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play established outdoor play as an important determinant of child health and development and informed policy, legal, funding and research agendas internationally. Ten years later, an update was undertaken to expand the scope across the life course and strengthen global relevance in the context of urbanisation, climate change and changing patterns of movement behaviour.
Methods: An international leadership group and steering committee (>130 members) conducted a six-stage consensus process: governance establishment; environmental scan of historical influences on active outdoor play; text-mining and linked network analyses; identification of priority research themes and stakeholder relationships; iterative co-development of a conceptual framework; and evidence synthesis to inform the final statement.
Results: The environmental scan identified 136 historical events influencing active outdoor play. Computational analyses identified ten core research themes and relationships between key actors. These findings informed a final systems-based framework comprising nine interconnected themes, which guided 18 targeted evidence reviews. The resulting 2025 Position Statement advances recommendations supporting outdoor play, learning and development across all ages, while integrating environmental stewardship and social connectedness.
Conclusions: The updated Position Statement provides an evidence-informed, internationally relevant framework for action across health, education, planning and community sectors. It offers a foundation for policy translation and programme development to increase equitable access to active outdoor play. Context-specific adaptation will be essential to maximise relevance and impact across cultural, environmental and governance settings.
Key messages: • A systems-based international update expands active outdoor play guidance from childhood to the full life course.
• The Position Statement can support cross-sector policy and practice to improve health, equity and sustainability.
Related
- The European Anthropological Association (EAA) position statement on anthropometry: education, competence, and scientific authority
- Outdoor risky play and health-related outcomes in children aged 3–12 years: A mixed-methods systematic review
- The Current Perspective, Ethical Considerations, and a Position Statement on Expanded Newborn Screening from the College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia.
- Outdoor play and catch-up growth in small-for-gestational-age children: a nationwide prospective birth cohort study from the Japan environment and children's study.
- An international position statement on practical approaches for inpatient continuous glucose monitoring, insulin pumps and automated insulin delivery systems in adults
BibTeX
@article{lannoy20262025,
title = {{2025 position statement on active outdoor play: Why, how and what}},
author = {L De Lannoy and EY Lee and L Mygind and M Tremblay},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.491},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.491},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - 2025 position statement on active outdoor play: Why, how and what
AU - L De Lannoy
AU - EY Lee
AU - L Mygind
AU - M Tremblay
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.491
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.491
AB - Background: The 2015 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play established outdoor play as an important determinant of child health and development and informed policy, legal, funding and research agendas internationally. Ten years later, an update was undertaken to expand the scope across the life course and strengthen global relevance in the context of urbanisation, climate change and changing patterns of movement behaviour. Methods: An international leadership group and steering committee (>130 members) conducted a six-stage consensus process: governance establishment; environmental scan of historical influences on active outdoor play; text-mining and linked network analyses; identification of priority research themes and stakeholder relationships; iterative co-development of a conceptual framework; and evidence synthesis to inform the final statement. Results: The environmental scan identified 136 historical events influencing active outdoor play. Computational analyses identified ten core research themes and relationships between key actors. These findings informed a final systems-based framework comprising nine interconnected themes, which guided 18 targeted evidence reviews. The resulting 2025 Position Statement advances recommendations supporting outdoor play, learning and development across all ages, while integrating environmental stewardship and social connectedness. Conclusions: The updated Position Statement provides an evidence-informed, internationally relevant framework for action across health, education, planning and community sectors. It offers a foundation for policy translation and programme development to increase equitable access to active outdoor play. Context-specific adaptation will be essential to maximise relevance and impact across cultural, environmental and governance settings. Key messages: • A systems-based international update expands active outdoor play guidance from childhood to the full life course. • The Position Statement can support cross-sector policy and practice to improve health, equity and sustainability.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -