A Walk in the Park: The Influence of Urban Parks and Community Violence on Physical Activity in Chelsea, MA

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Judy Y. Ou²  Jonathan I. Levy²  Junenette L. Peters²  Roseann Bongiovanni³  Jovanna Garcia-Soto³  Rafael Medina³  Madeleine K. Scammell²  Harry Timmermans¹  Astrid Kemperman¹ 

[1] Boston University School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USABoston University School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA;Chelsea Collaborative, Chelsea, MA 02150, USA;

关键词: built environment;    physical activity;    safety;    parks;    urban environment;    Latino;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph13010097

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Proximity to a park does not necessarily imply access or use, and the social environment may positively or negatively influence the positive intentions of the built environment. To investigate parks, park use and physical activity, and their associations with exposure to community violence, we interviewed residents (n = 354) of a densely populated urban community. Our findings indicate that proximity to any park is not associated with physical activity. However, proximity to the preferred park reported by residents to be conducive for physical activity (with walking paths, large fields, playgrounds for children and tennis courts) was associated with physical activity. Conversely, knowledge of sexual assault or rape in the neighborhood is inversely associated with every type of physical activity (park-based, outdoor, and indoor). Our findings suggest that improvements to the built environment (parks, green spaces) may be hindered by adverse social environments and both are necessary for consideration in the design of public health interventions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.