‘we don't really get to go out in the front yard’—children's home range and neighborhood violence

This comparison of the home range of sixty 7–11-year-old children in five Cleveland, OH, USA, neighborhoods with different levels of violence/crime revealed: (a) home range was a useful tool to study effects of neighborhoods on children; (b) neighborhood violence had differential effects on range, depending on child's gender, age, and range type. Among 7–9-year-olds, range ‘when alone’ or ‘with a friend’ was similar regardless of gender or level of neighborhood violence. Among 10–11-year-olds, girls of elevated-violence neighborhoods had smaller ranges ‘when alone’ compared to peers. However, some of these girls reported ways to utilize neighborhood resources while accommodating to home-range limitations.