ParkIndex: Development of a standardized metric of park access for research and planning

Andrew T Kaczynski; Jasper Schipperijn; J Aaron Hipp; Gina M Besenyi; Sonja A Wilhelm Stanis; S Morgan Hughey; Sara Wilcox

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.02.012

ParkIndex: Development of a standardized metric of park access for research and planning

Prev Med. 2016 Jun:87:110-114. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.02.012. Epub 2016 Feb 8.

Authors

Andrew T Kaczynski¹, Jasper Schipperijn², J Aaron Hipp³, Gina M Besenyi⁴, Sonja A Wilhelm Stanis⁵, S Morgan Hughey⁶, Sara Wilcox⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA; Prevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA. Electronic address: atkaczyn@mailbox.sc.edu.
² Department of Sport Sciences and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern, Denmark.
³ Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management and Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, USA.
⁴ Department of Clinical and Digital Health Sciences, Georgia Regents University, USA.
⁵ Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, University of Missouri, USA.
⁶ Prevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA.
⁷ Prevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA; Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA.

PMID: 26868092
DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.02.012

Abstract

Objective: A lack of comprehensive and standardized metrics for measuring park exposure limits park-related research and health promotion efforts. This study aimed to develop and demonstrate an empirically-derived and spatially-represented index of park access (ParkIndex) that would allow researchers, planners, and citizens to evaluate the potential for park use for a given area.

Methods: Data used for developing ParkIndex were collected in 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO). Adult study participants (n=891) reported whether they used a park within the past month, and all parks in KCMO were mapped and audited using ArcGIS 9.3 and the Community Park Audit Tool. Four park summary variables - distance to nearest park, and the number of parks, amount of park space, and average park quality index within 1mile were analyzed in relation to park use using logistic regression. Coefficients for significant park summary variables were used to create a raster surface (ParkIndex) representing the probability of park use for all 100m×100m cells in KCMO.

Results: Two park summary variables were positively associated with park use - the number of parks and the average park quality index within 1 mile. The ParkIndex probability of park use across all cells in KCMO ranged from 17 to 77 out of 100.

Conclusion: ParkIndex represents a standardized metric of park access that combines elements of both park availability and quality, which was developed empirically and can be represented spatially. This tool has both practical and conceptual significance for researchers and professionals in diverse disciplines.

Keywords: Built environment; Measurement; Parks; Planning.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
City Planning*
Environment Design / standards*
Female
Health Promotion
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Missouri
Parks, Recreational / statistics & numerical data*
Public Facilities
Recreation
Surveys and Questionnaires