Public Parks and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls
Deborah A. Cohen,J. Scott Ashwood,Molly M. Scott,Adrian Overton,Kelly R. Evenson,Lisa K. Staten,Dwayne E. Porter,Thomas L. McKenzie,Diane J. Catellier +8 more
TLDR
The goal of this study was to examine the association between park proximity, park type, and park features and physical activity in adolescent girls, and found that the type, number, and specific parks features were associated with girls' nonschool metabolic equivalent–weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity.Abstract:
OBJECTIVES.Physical activity may be constrained or facilitated by local environments. The availability of neighborhood facilities for physical activity may be particularly relevant for youth, who are unable to drive and whose activity is often limited to the immediate distance they are able to walk or bicycle. Several studies have shown that proximity to recreational facilities and parks is one of the most important predictors of physical activity. Because the United States already has an extensive infrastructure of parks, with 70% of adults indicating that they live within walking distance of a park or playground, parks may be a potential venue for increasing physical activity. This might be particularly important for adolescent girls, whose physical activity levels decline substantially as they go through puberty. The goal of this study was to examine the association between park proximity, park type, and park features and physical activity in adolescent girls. PATIENTS AND METHODS.This was a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls. It included 1556 grade 6 girls who were randomly selected from 6 middle schools in each of the following 6 field site areas: Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland; Columbia, South Carolina; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New Orleans, Louisiana; Tucson, Arizona; and San Diego, California. Girls wore accelerometers for 6 days to measure metabolic equivalent‐ weighted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a measure accounting for the volume and intensity of activity. Metabolic equivalent‐weighted moderate-tovigorous physical activity was calculated for the hours outside of school time using 2 different cutpoints, activity levels 3.0 metabolic equivalents and 4.6 metabolic equivalents, the latter indicating activity at the intensity of a brisk walk or higher. We mapped all of the parks within 1 mile of each girl’s home. Trained staff used a checklist to document the presence of facilities and amenities at each park, including passive amenities, such as drinking fountains, restrooms, and areas with shade, as well as active amenities like basketball courts, multipurpose fields, playgrounds, and tennis courts.read more
Citations
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Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the Anglo-American literature on urban green space, especially parks, and compared efforts to green US and Chinese cities and found that the distribution of such space often disproportionately benefits predominantly white and more affluent communities.
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Exploring pathways linking greenspace to health: Theoretical and methodological guidance.
Iana Markevych,Julia Schoierer,Terry Hartig,Alexandra Chudnovsky,Perry Hystad,Angel M. Dzhambov,Sjerp de Vries,Margarita Triguero-Mas,Michael Brauer,Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen,Gerd Lupp,Elizabeth A. Richardson,Thomas Astell-Burt,Donka D. Dimitrova,Xiaoqi Feng,Maya Sadeh,Marie Standl,Joachim Heinrich,Elaine Fuertes +18 more
TL;DR: In this article, potential pathways linking greenspace to health are presented in three domains, which emphasize three general functions of greenspace: reducing harm (e.g., reducing exposure to air pollution, noise and heat), restoring capacities (i.e., attention restoration and physiological stress recovery), and encouraging physical activity and facilitating social cohesion). Interrelations between among the three domains are also noted.
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The health benefits of urban green spaces: a review of the evidence
Andrew Lee,Ravi Maheswaran +1 more
TL;DR: Most studies reported findings that generally supported the view that green space have a beneficial health effect, and Simplistic urban interventions may therefore fail to address the underlying determinants of urban health that are not remediable by landscape redesign.
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Do attributes in the physical environment influence children's physical activity? A review of the literature
TL;DR: Results highlight links between the physical environment and children's physical activity and suggest additional research using a transdisciplinary approach and assessing moderating and mediating variables is necessary to appropriately inform policy efforts.
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Role of Built Environments in Physical Activity, Obesity, and Cardiovascular Disease
TL;DR: These results provide an empirical rationale for intervention and highlight the need to maintain support for the multisector, long-term efforts required to change environments, and evaluate interventions so they become ever more evidence-based.
References
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Physical Activity and Public Health: A Recommendation From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine
Russell R. Pate,Michael Pratt,Steven N. Blair,William L. Haskell,Caroline A. Macera,Claude Bouchard,David Buchner,Walter H. Ettinger,Gregory W. Heath,Abby C. King,Andrea M. Kriska,Arther S. Leon,Bess H. Marcus,Jeremy N. Morris,Ralph S. Paffenbarger,Kevin Patrick,Michael L. Pollock,James Rippe,James F. Sallis,Jack H. Wilmore +19 more
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William L. Haskell,I-Min Lee,Russell R. Pate,Kenneth E. Powell,Steven N. Blair,Barry A. Franklin,Caroline A. Macera,Gregory W. Heath,Paul D. Thompson,Adrian Bauman +9 more
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Physical Activity And Health: A Report Of The Surgeon General
TL;DR: This report is the first report of the Surgeon General on physical activity and health, and strong evidence is shown to indicate that regular physical activity will provide clear and substantial health gains.
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How Accessibility Shapes Land Use
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Physical Activity and Public Health
TL;DR: Further explanation is required of Dr Pate and colleagues' Figures 1 and 2 and the recommendation's contradiction with research that supports more vigorous activity, as well as their Figure 1, which shows a diminishing return in health benefit with increasing exercise level.