Environmental and Social Correlates of Physical Activity in Neighborhood Parks: An Observational Study in Tampa and Chicago

Abstract

This study used observational methods to examine physical activity (PA) and selected correlates in 28 parks in Tampa, Florida, and Chicago, Illinois. We observed 9,454 park users within predetermined activity zones and coded their activity as sedentary, walking (i.e., moderate intensity), or vigorous PA. In Tampa, higher temperature, unorganized activity, lower amounts of shade, lower neighborhood income, Hispanic neighborhood ethnicity, male gender and child age group were significantly associated with walking. Vigorous activity was not associated with income and ethnicity. Morning hours, unorganized activity, lower neighborhood income and African American neighborhood ethnicity were associated with walking in Chicago. Vigorous activity was associated with children, lower neighborhood income and African American ethnicity. Findings from this study can inform policy decisions and future research directions.

Keywords:

• active living
• built environment
• health benefits
• neighborhood diversity
• observational methods
• SOPLAY
• urban parks

Acknowledgements

A version of this paper was presented at the 2006 Active Living Research Conference, Coronado California. Financial support for this study was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Active Living Research program. The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their extensive and helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. The authors also wish to thank Dr. Chrystos Siderelis for his advice on data analysis.