Operationalizing and Testing the Concept of a Physical Activity Desert

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity is higher in economically and socially deprived areas. Higher levels of physical activity reduce the risk of excessive weight gain in youth, and research has focused on environmental factors associated with children’s physical activity, though the term “physical activity desert” has not come into wide use. Methods: This exploratory study operationalized the term “physical activity desert” and tested the hypothesis that children living in physical activity deserts would be less physically active than children who do not. A cross-sectional study design was applied with 992 fifth-grade students who had provided objectively measured physical activity data. Five of 12 possible elements of the built environment were selected as descriptors of physical activity deserts, including no commercial facilities, no parks, low play spaces, no cohesion, and the presence of incivilities. Results: Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that only the absence of parks was associated with less physical activity in children. Conclusion: Children living in a “no park” zone were less active than their counterparts who lived near a park. This study contributes preliminary conceptual and operational definitions of “physical activity desert.” Future studies of physical activity deserts should be undertaken in larger and more diverse samples.

Indicators of community physical activity resources and opportunities and variation by community sociodemographic characteristics: A scoping review

“…Research has shown greater availability of resources, such as playgrounds, positively influences adult and youth physical activity outcomes ( Davison and Lawson, 2006 , Ding et al, 2011 , Pontin et al, 2022 ). For example, Pate and colleagues ( Pate et al., 2021 ) operationalized the concept of a “physical activity desert” and found that children living near parks had greater physical activity than children without parks near their homes. Additionally, a recent systematic review examined associations between physical activity and objective measures of the built environment ( Pontin et al., 2022 ).…”

Social and Structural Determinants of Health and Social Injustices Contributing to Obesity Disparities

“…Social injustices occur when there are inequities in the allocation of resources, opportunities and support for human rights based on one's "disability, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion" [22]. The prevalence of food deserts, food swamps, and physical activity deserts in predominately Black, Hispanic, and lowincome neighborhoods are examples of social injustices that limit access to core the elements of healthy living [22][23][24]. The relationship between the social and structural determinants of health, social injustices, and obesity disparities is depicted in Fig.…”