Established Evidence Results

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): COMMUNITY, Green Spaces/Parks

Intervention Description: There is a paucity of studies, especially among diverse populations, demonstrating the effects of policy and environmental interventions to increase regular physical activity. The Grow Healthy Together Chattanooga project provided the opportunity to assess the impact of physical activity policy and environmental interventions on the physical activity among predominately African American children living in the inner city. Using the System for Observing Physical Activity and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC), the authors examined the physical activity of children along urban pedestrian/bike routes/trails and recreational park areas within the boundaries of the Grow Healthy Together Chattanooga communities. SOPARC data were collected at baseline (fall 2010/spring 2011) and repeated (spring 2014) in each community.

Intervention Results: The SOPARC assessments yielded a total of 692 child/youth observations in 2010 and 806 observations in 2014. Children/youth observed in 2014 were greater than 2 times the odds of engaging in moderate/vigorous physical activity compared with their 2010 counterparts (odds ratio = 2.75, 95% confidence interval, 1.43-5.32).

Conclusion: The present findings support the hypothesis that policy and environmental interventions can contribute to increased physical activity levels among children/youth over ∼3-year period. These results provide evidence that improved access to "urban" pedestrian/bicycle routes/trails appears to translate into increased opportunities for physical activity among inner city children/youth.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental design

Setting: Community-based

Population of Focus: Children and youth living in south and east Chattanooga neighborhoods

Data Source: Observational data, focus group data

Sample Size: 1,929 youth

Age Range: Ages 6-18

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): COMMUNITY, Green Spaces/Parks

Intervention Description: A Play Streets-style intervention was defined as the closing down of a street or parking lot to traffic to provide the public with a safe, open space to actively play and/or be physically active that was accessible at no cost, was designed primarily for youth (children and/or adolescents), and may have organized events and environmental supports such as marked play areas, loose equipment, and games.

Intervention Results: School-aged children with complete data (n = 353) wore pedometers for an average of 92.97 min (SD = 60.12) and accrued a mean of 42.08 steps/min (SD = 17.27), with no significant differences between boys (μ = 43.82, SD = 15.76) and girls (μ = 40.66, SD = 18.34). iSOPARC observations revealed no significant differences in child activity by sex; however, male teens were more active than female teens. Most adults were sedentary during Play Streets according to pedometer and iSOPARC data. Children in diverse rural communities are physically active at Play Streets.

Conclusion: Play Streets are a promising intervention for promoting active play among children that lack safe opportunities to be active.

Study Design: Cross-sectional design without a comparison group

Setting: Diverse low-income rural communities

Population of Focus: School-aged children in elementary-to-middle school

Data Source: Student self-report, systematic observation, and pedometer data

Sample Size: 370 children

Age Range: Ages 3-15

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): COMMUNITY, Green Spaces/Parks

Intervention Description: 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.

Intervention Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Study Design: Descriptive study

Setting: Urban play areas/ Community-based

Population of Focus: Children and adolescents

Data Source: iSOPARC observations

Sample Size: 1,741 youth

Age Range: Ages 6-17