Disparities in physical activity resource availability in six US regions

• Published in: Preventive medicine Vol. 78; pp. 17 - 22
• Main Authors: Jones, Sydney A, Moore, Latetia V, Moore, Kari, Zagorski, Melissa, Brines, Shannon J, Diez Roux, Ana V, Evenson, Kelly R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2015
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child; Environment; Environment Design - economics; Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data; Exercise; Female; Geographic information systems (GIS); Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Minority Groups; Parks and recreation; Physical activity; Policy; Poverty; Racial Groups - statistics & numerical data; Recreation - economics; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Social Determinants of Health; Socioeconomic Factors; United States; United States; Geographic information systems (GIS); Policy; Parks and recreation; MESA; NETS; Physical activity; National Establishment Time Series; ZINB; Environment; Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; zero-inflated negative binomial
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.05.028

Abstract Objective We conducted an ecological study to determine physical activity resource availability overall and by sociodemographic groups in parts of six states (CA, IL, MD, MN, NC, NY). Methods Data on parks and recreational facilities were collected from 3 sources in 2009–2012. Three measures characterized park and recreational facility availability at the census tract level: presence of ≥1 resource, number of resources, and resource kernel density. Associations between resource availability and census tract characteristics (predominant racial/ethnic group, median income, and proportion of children and older adults) were estimated using linear, binomial, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression in 2014. Pooled and stratified analyses were conducted. Results The study included 7139 census tracts, comprising 9.5% of the 2010 US population. Overall the availability of parks and recreational facilities was lower in predominantly minority relative to non-Hispanic white census tracts. Low-income census tracts and those with a higher proportion of children had an equal or greater availability of park resources but fewer recreational facilities. Stratification revealed substantial variation in resource availability by site. Conclusion The availability of physical activity resources varied by sociodemographic characteristics and across regions. Improved knowledge of resource distribution can inform strategies to provide equitable access to parks and recreational facilities.