Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity: A Review of Evidence about Parks and Recreation

Abstract

Research on physical activity (PA) has expanded in recent years to examine environmental influences that enhance or limit the opportunities people have to be active. The purpose of this study was to review and critically examine evidence related to parks and recreation as features of the built environment and the relationship of these settings to PA. Fifty studies were retrieved from four major databases that reported an empirical relationship between parks or recreation variables and PA variables. Mixed associations with PA were observed for different types of parks or recreation settings, while proximity to parks or recreation was generally associated with increased PA. Shortcomings exist in this literature and many opportunities for researching parks, recreation, and active living are evident for the future.

Keywords:

• active living
• literature review
• physical activity
• social ecological models

We would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and Deb Bialeschki for overseeing the editorial process on this manuscript. This paper was presented at the 2006 Cooper Institute on “Parks, Recreation, and Public Health: Collaborative Frameworks for Promoting Physical Activity.”

Notes

¹ PsycInfo: AB = (“physical activity” OR exercise OR inactivity OR walking) AND AB = (environment OR neighborhood OR “urban design” OR park OR trail OR greenway). PubMed: Search (“Motor Activity”[MeSH] OR “Exercise”[MeSH]) AND “Environment Design”[MeSH] Field: MeSH Terms. LeisureTourism Abstracts: ((environment) in ABSTRACT OR (neighborhood) in ABSTRACT OR (park) in ABSTRACT OR (trail) in ABSTRACT)) AND ((physical activity) in ABSTRACT OR (exercise) in ABSTRACT OR (walking) in ABSTRACT)). Web of Science: TS = (physical activity OR exercise OR walking) AND TS = (environment OR neighborhood OR urban design OR park OR trail OR greenway); Database = SSCI.

¹Only the sample age and location (where available) are reported here. For additional information about the sample and research design, readers are directed to the original studies.

²An asterisk adjacent to the sample size number indicates that the sample was drawn in a manner so as to be representative of the study population (e.g. randomly).

³Although other variables related to parks or recreation and/or physical activity may have been collected or analyzed (or other values of the variables that are presented), only the parks and recreation or physical activity variables/values that were related directly and empirically are reported in these columns. Variables in italics were assessed using some objective method of measurement (e.g., geographic information systems, accelerometer, etc.), rather than subjectively by participants' self-reports.

⁴Unless otherwise noted, the term “significantly” implies differences at the .05 level. Other variables that were adjusted or controlled for in the analyses, if any, are not reported here. When variables or variable values are listed in the variable columns but associations amongst them are not reported in this column, they were either absent, insignificant, or both.

¹The larger numbers in each cell indicate the number of studies for each type of park or recreation setting that reported a positive, mixed, or non-significant association with physical activity. The superscript numbers in each cell refer to the specific studies as listed in Table 1.

¹The larger numbers in each cell indicate the number of studies for each proximity category that reported a positive, mixed, or non-significant association with physical activity. The smaller numbers in each cell refer to the specific studies as listed in Table 1.