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

描述（由申请人提供）：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25个具有代表性的美国城市和200个公园的公园管理实践中存在的差异进行全国性的纵向研究。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现状，并在人口层面制定促进健康的公共政策，我们提出了一项调查，具体目标如下：1)确定美国代表性城市公园社区的社会经济地位在公园资源、规划、管理实践和公园利用方面是否存在系统性差异；2)确定这些城市公园资源分配的变化是否在高收入和低收入公园之间均匀分布，或者分配变化是否试图解决潜在公园用户之间的健康差异。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育活动的变化。3)向每个城市的公园和娱乐部门提出建议，以支持那些可能经历健康差异的人群更多地使用公园设施，这些健康差异可以通过体育活动得到改善。为了达到调查的目的，我们将培养一批公园专业人员和支持社区公园的社区组织成员作为“公民科学家”，收集客观数据。让这些公民科学家参与

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.