Journal ArticleDOI
System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC): Reliability and Feasibility Measures
TLDR
SOPARC is a reliable and feasible instrument for assessing physical activity and associated contextual data in community settings and met acceptable criteria for area contexts.Abstract:
Background: New tools are needed to examine physical activity and the contexts in which it occurs. Community parks contribute to physical activity, but measuring activity and associated variables in them is challenging because area contexts change and the numbers and characteristics of users are highly variable. Methods: We developed SOPARC (System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities) and tested its use by observing 16,244 individuals in 165 park areas. Reliabilities included 472 simultaneous measures by independent observers. Results: Correlations between observers on number of area participants was 0.99 for female and male park users. Reliabilities (i.e., percent agreement) for age (89%, females; 85%, males), race/ethnic (80%, females; 82%, males), and activity level (80%, females; 88%, males) groupings met acceptable criteria. Reliabilities for area contexts (i.e., usable, accessible, supervised, organized, equipped) exceeded 94%. Conclusions: SOPARC is a reliable and feasible instrument for assessing physical activity and associated contextual data in community settings.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
New Recreational Facilities for the Young and the Old in Los Angeles: Policy and Programming Implications
Deborah A. Cohen,Amber Sehgal,Stephanie Williamson,Terry Marsh,Daniela Golinelli,Thomas L. McKenzie +5 more
TL;DR: It is found that making improvements to facilities alone will not always guarantee increased use, and use results from a complex equation that includes not only higher quality recreation facilities but also progamming, staffing, fees, hours of operation, marketing, outreach, and perhaps a host of other human factors.
Journal ArticleDOI
Exploring the urban park use, preference and behaviours among the residents of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
TL;DR: In this article, the authors aim to look at how the people use and perceive urban parks in their daily life in the Malaysian cultural context, and also highlight the constraints faced by Malaysians while using the urban parks.
Use of Neighbourhood Parks: Does Socio-Economic Status Matter?
Deborah A. Cohen,Sandra C. Lapham,Kelly R. Evenson,Stephanie Williamson,Daniela Golinelli,Phillip Ward,Amy Hillier,Thomas L. McKenzie +7 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that park programming is the most important correlate of park use and park-based physical activity, suggesting that there are considerable opportunities for facilitating physical activity among populations of both high and low-poverty areas.
Journal ArticleDOI
Features and amenities of school playgrounds: A direct observation study of utilization and physical activity levels outside of school time
TL;DR: Having a large quantity of play features and shade at renovated playgrounds were positively associated with utilization of the schoolyard, and modifying playgrounds to have these features may increase the utilization of these facilities outside of school time.
Journal ArticleDOI
Use of neighbourhood parks: does socio-economic status matter? A four-city study
Deborah A. Cohen,Sandra C. Lapham,Kelly R. Evenson,Stephanie Williamson,Daniela Golinelli,Phillip Ward,Amy Hillier,Thomas L. McKenzie +7 more
TL;DR: The finding that park programming is the most important correlate of park use and park-based physical activity suggests that there are considerable opportunities for facilitating physical activity among populations of both high- and low-poverty areas.
References
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Barbara E. Ainsworth,William L. Haskell,Melicia C. Whitt,Melinda L. Irwin,A. M. Swartz,Scott J. Strath,O'Brien Wl,David R. Bassett,Kathryn H. Schmitz,Patricia O. Emplaincourt,David R. Jacobs,Arthur S. Leon +11 more
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TL;DR: The prevalence of obesity and diabetes continues to increase among US adults, and interventions are needed to improve physical activity and diet in communities nationwide.
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Environmental factors associated with adults' participation in physical activity: a review
TL;DR: Physical environment factors have consistent associations with physical activity behavior and further development of ecologic and environmental models, together with behavior-specific and context-specific measurement strategies, should help in further understanding of these associations.
Journal ArticleDOI
Environmental and policy interventions to promote physical activity
TL;DR: In this article, a model describing the development of policy and environmental interventions is proposed, in the hope of stimulating more research in this area, and two studies showed that placing signs encouraging stair use can be effective.
Journal ArticleDOI
The significance of parks to physical activity and public health: a conceptual model.
TL;DR: A conceptual model is proposed to guide thinking and suggest hypotheses about the relationships between park benefits, park use, and physical activity, and the antecedents/correlates of park use that focus on park environmental characteristics that could be related to physical activity.