Transforming City Streets To Promote Physical Activity And Health Equity

Abstract

Most US cities lack built environments that support physical activity, which is a key determinant of health. Making permanent changes to the physical environment to promote physical activity is not always feasible. Play Streets is a place-based intervention that is typically organized by local governments or community organizations and involves temporarily closing streets to create safe places and free opportunities for physical activity. In this descriptive study we examined 162 of Chicago's PlayStreets, held in the summer of 2018, to assess the volume and type of physical activity among youth participants and the variety of services provided to residents. We analyzed implementation data and forms completed after PlayStreets, and we conducted systematic observations at a purposeful sample of PlayStreets. We found that PlayStreets provides opportunities for youth physical activity in areas where opportunities do not otherwise always exist. PlayStreets also provides an avenue for residents to access community resources. This research on Chicago's experience with PlayStreets showed how one city is temporarily turning streets into places for youth physical activity to advance health equity. Local policies that facilitate temporarily closing streets and that provide resources to support opportunities for physical activity and access to community resources can advance health equity in cities nationwide.T here is clear evidence that where people live affects their health, with documented disparities in life expectancy and health outcomes across ZIP codes. 1 Differences in health outcomes by location have been largely attributed to underlying inequities in the social determinants of health, including the physical and social environment, education, affordable housing, and transportation access. 1,2 According to data from 2013, families that live in cities account for 63 percent of the US population. 3 These residents encounter unique barriers to resources that support positive health outcomes and well-being. For example, people who live in certain urban areas face challenges to being physically active because of low levels of walkability, lack of access to safe parks and playgrounds, and concerns related to traffic and crime. 4,5 These barriers are especially significant for youth, because there is consistent evidence that engaging in regular physical activity has numerous benefits for youth, including improved cognitive, emotional, social, and physical health. 6 Despite these benefits, fewer than 60 percent of children (ages 6-11) and 30 percent of adolescents (ages 12-15) in the US report meeting national physical activity guidelines, with notable differences by sex, race and ethnicity, and location. 6

The Effects of Park-Based Interventions on Health-Related Outcomes Among Youth: A Systematic Review

“…16 In fact, according to the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, which makes recommendations on evidence-based interventions for disease prevention, creating or improving public places for physical activity was 1 of the recommended evidence-supported strategies for increasing physical activity. 17 Public parks in particular address concerns as it relates to equity in access to spaces for play and physical activity unlike school-based programs or sports that are restricted to youth registered on a team or at a particular school. 18 , 19 Park-based physical activity programs have the potential of being an ideal setting for child and adolescent chronic disease prevention and health promotion.…”

The Effects of Play Streets on Social and Community Connectedness in Rural Communities

“…Finally, while the current study focused on the benefits of implementing multiple Play Streets over a limited time period (i.e., one summer). These findings and evaluations out of Chicago and other urban areas suggest value in scheduling Play Streets that recur across multiple years and also recur multiple times within a year [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Important considerations for implementers include logistical challenges (e.g., location, date/time, activities, bathrooms), the human resources needed, identification of active play equipment and partners, marketing, and retaining free access to all families, and the potential of competing demands and/or loss of novelty across time.…”

“…Play Streets is a place-based intervention in which community members temporarily (2–4 h) close a street or activate a public space, such as a field or a parking lot, to provide a safe place for children to play. While Play Streets have been used in urban areas for decades [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], rural communities have recently adapted them to fit the needs of their communities [ 14 , 15 ]. Play Streets typically occur episodically during the summer (June–September) to provide safe active play opportunities in a time of reduced PA and structured opportunities for activity [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Play Streets typically occur episodically during the summer (June–September) to provide safe active play opportunities in a time of reduced PA and structured opportunities for activity [ 16 , 17 ]. Play Streets have successfully encouraged active play and PA for children in both rural and urban settings [ 11 , 14 ]. Reported previously, as a primary aim of this larger study, Play Streets are effective ways to promote PA and active play among children and adolescents [ 14 ] by getting people outdoors playing and interacting with others in their community.…”

An evaluation of PlayStreets in the South Side neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio

“…PlayStreets are normally held in disadvantaged areas that have high rates of crime and childhood obesity, low social cohesion among neighbors, and limited spaces designated for outdoor play. 9…”