Today,mostAmericanadultsandchildrenfailtomeetnationalphysicalactivityguidelines.Playgrounds arelocatedin89%ofallneighborhoodparks,makingthemarichresourcetosupportphysicalactivityinboth childrenandadults.However,notallplaygroundsarecreatedequal,noraretheyalldesignedtoencourage physicalactivityforallages.Playgroundsinlowerincomeareasareusedlessandplaygroundswithmore featuresattractmoreusersandleadtomoremoderate-to-vigorousphysicalactivity.Innovativeplaygrounds thatincludedfacilitiesandamenitiesforadultsappeartoincreasethenumberofusersaswellastheirlevelsof moderate-to-vigorousphysicalactivity(MVPA)toanevengreaterextent.Inthepastdecade,playgroundsin majorAmericancitieshavebegunexperimentingwithnewer,moreinnovativeplaygrounddesigns;?asyet, thesespaceshavenotbeenrigorouslystudiedtoassesstheirimpactonthephysicalactivityofallages.Using andadaptingexistingmethodsofsystematicdirectobservation,weproposetostudyandcompareinnovative playgroundstotraditionalpostandplatformplaygroundsacrosstheUStodeterminewhethertheycanmitigate themultipleparkusedisparitiesseenforgender,age,andsocio-economicstatus.Inaddition,wewillsurvey 1200adultcaregiversofchildreninplaygroundareastoassesshowplaygroundsrelatetotheirownphysical activitythroughactivetransporttotheplaygroundaswellason-sitephysicalactivity.
Our specificaims are:1) Todeterminewhetherinnovativeplaygroundsattractmoreusersofallagesaswellasreducegender disparitiesinplaygrounduseandphysicalactivitylevels;?2)Todeterminewhetherinnovativeplaygrounds attractasimilarproportionofusersrelativetothelocalpopulationdensityinlow-incomeneighborhoodsasin high-incomeneighborhoods;?3)Toidentifythecontributionofspecificplaygroundfeatures,structures,and surfacingtoplayground-basedMVPAandactivetransporttoplaygroundsamonggenderandagegroups, includingchildren5andunder,thoseinmiddlechildhood(6-12),teens(13-17),adults(18-59),andseniors (60+);?4)TomakerecommendationsthatsupportmoreMVPAinplaygroundsforallagegroups.Thiswillbe thefirststudytoexaminetheimpactofplaygrounddesignonthedurationandintensitylevelsofphysical activityamongplaygroundusersofallagegroupsandacrosssocio-demographiccommunities.Giventhat citiesareconstantlyrenovatingandcreatingnewplaygroundareas,thefindingsfromthisstudycaninformthe designofplaygroundsbeingplannednowandinthefuturetomaximizepopulation-levelphysicalactivity.
Usingandadaptingexistingmethodsofsystematicdirectobservation,weproposetostudyandcompare innovativeplaygroundstotraditionalpostandplatformplaygroundsacrosstheUStodeterminewhetherthey canmitigatethemultipleparkusedisparitiesseenforgender,age,andsocio-economicstatus.Inaddition,we willsurvey1200adultcaregiverstoassesshowplaygroundsrelatetotheirownphysicalactivitythroughactive transporttotheplaygroundaswellason-sitephysicalactivity.Thefindingswillinformthedesignoffuture playgroundrenovations.
