SOOPEN: design and assessment of a tailored systematic observation tool to evaluate outdoor play behavior among schoolchildren groups

Schoolyard environments and public urban spaces are fundamental to promote children’s socialization and physical activity levels. Existing observation tools evaluate children’s play behavior at the individual level. We developed the SOOPEN tool (System for Observing Outdoor Play Environments in Neighborhood Schools) to assess school-aged children’s play behavior using a group dynamics approach and estimated its inter-observer reliability. SOOPEN was based on two systematic observation tools and tested in 11 primary schools. Inter-observer reliability was assessed by calculating Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kendall’s correlation coefficient tau-b. SOOPEN consists of six variables: group size, sex, physical activity level, activity type, social interactions, and shade cover. Agreement between observers for the number of groups, sex, and shade was excellent (ICCs > 0.9). Inter-rater reliability for physical activity levels, social interactions, and activity types was moderate to high (ICCs > 0.6). Kendall’s tau b indicated a high concordance between observers for all variables (τb > 0.7, p values < 0.05). SOOPEN is a new and reliable tool to assess children’s play behavior at the group level. The tool showed a high inter-observer reliability. SOOPEN can be useful to assess behavior that is related to health and wellbeing in schoolyards and other urban settings.