Availability of Recreation Facilities and Parks In Relation to Adolescent Participation in Organized Sports and Activity Programs

Marisa McCormack; Michael Pratt; Terry L Conway; Kelli L Cain; Lawrence D Frank; Brian E Saelens; Karen Glanz; Britta A Larsen; Cinnamon S Bloss; Eric H Fox; James F Sallis

Availability of Recreation Facilities and Parks In Relation to Adolescent Participation in Organized Sports and Activity Programs

J Healthy Eat Act Living. 2023 Aug 1;3(1):19-35. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, U.S.A.
² Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of California San Diego, U.S.A.
³ Urban Design 4 Health, Inc., Rochester, NY U.S.A.
⁴ Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, U.S.A.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

PMID: 37794920
PMCID: PMC10546936

Abstract

Most adolescents do not meet physical activity guidelines, so understanding facilitators and barriers is important. This study used surveys and geocoded location data to examine associations of availability of parks and recreation facilities with adolescent-reported participation in organized team sports and physical activity classes. The study was conducted with 928 adolescents aged 12-17 years, plus one parent/caretaker, recruited from two regions of the US. Adolescents' participation in teams and classes was positively associated with parents' perceptions of multiple available recreation environments, but not with objectively-measured availability. Having multiple nearby parks and recreation facilities may provide adolescents with more options for participating in preferred organized team sports and activity classes.

Keywords: built environment; exercise; geographic information systems (GIS); physical activity.

Grants and funding

R01 HL083454/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States