Let’s Go to the Park Today: The Role of Parks in Obesity Prevention and Improving the Public’s Health

Abstract

Let's go to the park today! This familiar phrase is heard routinely throughout the year in many U.S. households. Access to parks, trails, open spaces, and recreational facilities not only provides increased opportunities for children and adults to play and be physically active, but these venues also influence other behaviors. As the health and wellbeing of our children are impacted by the daily environment in which they live, learn, and play, the use of parks and other recreation spaces as a healthful venue is important to consider in a comprehensive view of childhood and family obesity prevention. This article briefly summarizes some of the obesity-related benefits of parks across the local, state, and national park systems and highlights specific initiatives as examples of the commitment by park agencies to benefit the public's health and play a role in obesity and chronic disease prevention.

Working With Community Partners to Implement and Evaluate the Chicago Park District’s 100% Healthier Snack Vending Initiative

“…Parks are an important public space for promoting health, especially in urban settings with limited open space (10), not only through physical activity but also through access to healthful food. Parks are the second largest public provider of food to children in…”

Within What Distance Does “Greenness” Best Predict Physical Health? A Systematic Review of Articles with GIS Buffer Analyses

“…The larger buffer has a 1,000m radius and covers a circular area of approximately 3,140,000m 2 . The smaller buffer has a 250m radius and covers an area of approximately 200,000m 2 . Given that both of these buffers have 50% green cover, the 1,000m buffer would include 1,570,000m 2 (nearly 400 acres) of greenspace, but the 25m buffer would only include 100,000m 2 (approximately 25 acres) of greenspace.…”

“…The smaller buffer has a 250m radius and covers an area of approximately 200,000m 2 . Given that both of these buffers have 50% green cover, the 1,000m buffer would include 1,570,000m 2 (nearly 400 acres) of greenspace, but the 25m buffer would only include 100,000m 2 (approximately 25 acres) of greenspace. Because the smaller buffer analysis does not describe green cover beyond this relatively small area, it cannot evaluate whether the broader neighborhood includes those additional 1,470,000m 2 of green cover represented in the 1,000m buffer analysis.…”

“…In the United States, some practitioners suggest that having greenspace within a five-minute walk (approximately 0.2 miles or 0.32 kilometers) is most important for physical health, while others assert that a 0.50-or 0.75-mile (0.80 or 1.20 kilometers) range is more accurate [2]. A better understanding of the maximum distance to consider when analyzing greenspace would help urban planners and public health officials better evaluate how to design minimum standards for greenspaces near members of their communities.…”

Validity of Public Parks for Children with Disabilities – Parents’ Perspective*

“…Public parks and playgrounds have been found to be highly important for the development of such skills for various reasons. Firstly, many studies have conclusively demonstrated that access to playgrounds or parks has a positive correlation with the amount of physical activity of the child (Blanck, Allen, Bashir, Gordon, Goodman, Merriam, & Rutt, 2012). It has also been found to be positively associated with the mental development of the child, as physical activity is often associated with improved mental health (Sherer, 2003).…”