Abstract
Citation
McKenzie TL, Moody JS, Carlson JA, Lopez NV, Elder JP. Neighborhood Income Matters: Disparities in Community Recreation Facilities, Amenities, and Programs. J Park Recreat Admi 2013 Winter;31(4):12-22.
Abstract
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Physical activity is important for children's development and their current and future health; national recommendations are for them to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Most of children's physical activity occurs outside of school hours; thus, access to and the quality of community recreation facilities and programming are particularly relevant. Researchers have identified strong links among socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, and poor health, but a limited number of studies have examined how access to community recreation facilities and physical activity programming are affected by local socioeconomic conditions. In many low-income communities, park and recreation facilities may be the only place for children to be physically active outside of school; thus, it is important to understand the connection between community environmental characteristics and child use of facilities. We were interested in determining whether the characteristics of community recreation center environments would be associated with neighborhood income and children's use of the centers. To do this we designed a study to identify whether neighborhood income disparities were associated with recreation center environmental characteristics and whether those characteristics were associated with young children's use of the center. We believed that findings to these questions could inform policy decisions within recreation centers and recreation departments to improve equity, facility use, and levels of physical activity. Thirty community recreation centers and 541 nearby families with children aged 5-8 years in five cities in Southern California participated in the study. To generate data we used multiple research instrumentation including (a) a structured physical activity survey of program offerings and barriers to children's participation in physical activity at the center [completed by recreation center supervisors], (b) direct observation of the presence and condition of recreation center facilities and amenities by trained assessors, and (c) a parent questionnaire on child use of the center. Results indicated that the condition of the community center facilities and amenities, but not their number, was positively related to neighborhood income (p < .05). As well, the number of cost-free, but not total, youth physical activity programs was inversely associated with neighborhood income (p < .05). Parent's report of their children using centers was positively associated with the number of amenities observed there (p < .05). The results suggest that policy makers and community recreation center staff should consider both neighborhood economic issues and environmental characteristics in their efforts to promote children's physical activity at recreation centers.
Full Text
not available
At A Glance
Physical Activity Environment Variables
# | Type of Environment/Location |
---|---|
30 | Recreational Facility/Area |
# | Scale |
---|---|
- | Neighborhood |
Measure | objective | perceived |
---|---|---|
Crime/Safety | ✔ | ✘ |
Pedestrian/Traffic Safety | ✔ | ✘ |
Cycling Infrastructure | ✔ | ✘ |
Facility Adequacy/Appeal or Quality | ✔ | ✘ |
Facility Access/Availablity/Proximity | ✔ | ✘ |
Aesthetics/Beautification | ✔ | ✘ |
Population/Housing Density | ✔ | ✘ |
Pedestrian Infrastructure | ✔ | ✘ |
Physical activity programs | ✔ | ✘ |
Open Space/Greenness | ✔ | ✘ |
Domain(s)
Physical Activity Environment
Measure Type
Audit tool
Measure Availability
Not reported
Number of Items
Not reported
Study location
Metro/Urban
San Diego County, California, USA
Languages
English
Information about Development of Measure
The Recreation Facility Audit Tool was adapted from the Physical activity Resource Assessment (PARA) that had shown differences in a variety of physical activity resources in low- and high-income neighborhoods.
Study Design
Study Participants
Age
2 - 5 Years
6 - 11 Years
Sex
Female
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Not reported
Predominantly Low-income/Low-SES
Not reported
Sample Size
18
Study Design
Design Type
Validation/Reliability
Descriptive
Correlational/Observational
Health Outcomes Assessed
None
Obesity Measures
Not applicable
BMI Measured or Self-reported
Not applicable
Covariates
Sociodemographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, race)
Data Reported on Race/Ethnicity
Not applicable
Data Reported on SES
Quantitative data for community or area
SES-related Variables
Income
How To Use
Administration
Who Administered
Researcher-administered
How Administered
Direct observation, hard-copy form
Time Required
Not reported
Training Required
Yes, time not reported
Instructions on Use
Instructions on instrument use included in article
Data Analysis
Data Collection/Analysis Costs
Not reported
Data Collection/Protocol
Evaluators used the Recreation Facility Audit Tool (REFAT) as they systematically walked through the community center facilities while scoring the availability and condition of amenities and the presence of incivilities. Four evaluators underwent extensive training to use REFAT, and the first six centers were observed by more than one assessor to ensure agreement among them. Recreation supervisors completed a modified version of the Structured Physical Activity Survey on site via a structured interview led by the same evaluator. A primary caregiver with a child living within one and a half miles from each of the thirty centers responded to a survey item asking how often the child engaged in physical activity at the recreation center near his/her home.
Instructions on Data Analysis
Instructions on analysis included in article
Validity (0)
There are no validity tests reported for this measure.
Reliability (1)
Type of reliability | Construct/subscale assessed | Test/statistic used | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Inter-rater | Recreation Facility Audit Tool items | Correlation (r) | r > 0.9 |