Do Departments of Parks and Recreation Foster or Alleviate Health Disparities?

描述(申请人提供)：由于先前的研究表明，公园之间的资源分配因社区SES而异，我们建议对美国25个代表性城市和200个公园在公园管理实践中存在的差异进行全国性纵向研究。为了推进公园管理实践对身体活动和公园使用的影响的科学状况，并在人口水平上形成促进健康的公共政策，我们提议进行一项具有以下具体目标的调查：1)确定公园资源、规划、管理实践和公园使用是否存在系统性差异，取决于美国具有代表性的城市中公园社区的社会经济地位；2)确定这些城市公园之间资源分配的变化是否在高收入和低收入公园之间均匀分配，或者分配变化是否试图解决潜在公园使用者之间的健康差异。我们还将确定资源分配的变化是否伴随着以公园为基础的体力活动的变化，以及3)向每个城市的公园和康乐部门提出建议，支持那些可能经历健康差距的人群更多地使用公园设施，这些人可以通过体力活动来改善。为实现此次调查的目的，我们将培训一支公园专业干部和支持社区公园的社区组织成员，以发挥“公民科学家”的作用，收集客观数据。让这些公民科学家参与到 研究过程旨在提高当地能力，以可靠地衡量公园管理做法、公园特征、公园使用和体力活动。公民科学家是一种资产，在拟议的研究(如果得到资助)完成后将长期存在，并可能成为研究的基础，在这些研究中，可以严格评估未来促进身体活动的干预措施。我们还将采访主要利益相关者，以评估可能影响当地公园使用的其他因素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Because prior research suggests that resource allocation among parks varies by neighborhood SES, we propose to undertake a national longitudinal study of the existence of disparities in park management practices in 25 representative US cities and 200 parks. In order to advance the state of science on the influence of park management practices on physical activity and park use and to shape public policy on health promotion at the population level, we propose an investigation with the following specific aims: 1) To determine whether there are systematic differences in park resources, programming, management practices, and park use depending upon the socioeconomic status of park neighborhoods in a representative sample of American cities, 2) To determine whether changes in resource allocation among parks in these cities are distributed equally among high and low income parks, or whether allocation changes attempt to address health disparities among potential park users. We will also determine whether changes in resource allocation are accompanied by changes in park-based physical activity, and 3) To make recommendations to the Departments of Parks and Recreation in each city that will support greater use of park facilities among populations who may experience health disparities that can be ameliorated by physical activity. To accomplish the aims of this investigation, we will train a cadre of park professionals and members of community-based organizations that support neighborhood parks to act as "citizen scientists" and collect objective data. Engaging these citizen-scientists in the research process is intended to increase local capacity to reliably measure park management practices, park characteristics, park use, and physical activity. Citizen-scientists are an asset that will endure long after the proposed research (if funded) is completed and could form the basis for research in which future interventions to promote physical activity can be rigorously evaluated. We will also interview key stakeholders to assess other factors that may impact local park use.