TY - JOUR
T1 - Transforming city streets to promote physical activity and health equity
AU - Porter, Keshia M.Pollack
AU - Prochnow, Tyler
AU - Mahoney, Patricia
AU - Delgado, Haley
AU - Hamilton, Christina N.Bridges
AU - Wilkins, Emily
AU - Meyer, M. Renée Umstattd
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Project HOPE. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Most US cities lack built environments that support physical activity, which is a key determinant of health. Making permanent changes to the physical environment to promote physical activity is not always feasible. Play Streets is a place-based intervention that is typically organized by local governments or community organizations and involves temporarily closing streets to create safe places and free opportunities for physical activity. In this descriptive study we examined 162 of Chicago’s PlayStreets, held in the summer of 2018, to assess the volume and type of physical activity among youth participants and the variety of services provided to residents. We analyzed implementation data and forms completed after PlayStreets, and we conducted systematic observations at a purposeful sample of PlayStreets. We found that PlayStreets provides opportunities for youth physical activity in areas where opportunities do not otherwise always exist. PlayStreets also provides an avenue for residents to access community resources. This research on Chicago’s experience with PlayStreets showed how one city is temporarily turning streets into places for youth physical activity to advance health equity. Local policies that facilitate temporarily closing streets and that provide resources to support opportunities for physical activity and access to community resources can advance health equity in cities nationwide.
AB - Most US cities lack built environments that support physical activity, which is a key determinant of health. Making permanent changes to the physical environment to promote physical activity is not always feasible. Play Streets is a place-based intervention that is typically organized by local governments or community organizations and involves temporarily closing streets to create safe places and free opportunities for physical activity. In this descriptive study we examined 162 of Chicago’s PlayStreets, held in the summer of 2018, to assess the volume and type of physical activity among youth participants and the variety of services provided to residents. We analyzed implementation data and forms completed after PlayStreets, and we conducted systematic observations at a purposeful sample of PlayStreets. We found that PlayStreets provides opportunities for youth physical activity in areas where opportunities do not otherwise always exist. PlayStreets also provides an avenue for residents to access community resources. This research on Chicago’s experience with PlayStreets showed how one city is temporarily turning streets into places for youth physical activity to advance health equity. Local policies that facilitate temporarily closing streets and that provide resources to support opportunities for physical activity and access to community resources can advance health equity in cities nationwide.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071743736&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85071743736&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00454
DO - 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00454
M3 - Article
C2 - 31479352
AN - SCOPUS:85071743736
SN - 0278-2715
VL - 38
SP - 1475
EP - 1483
JO - Health Affairs
JF - Health Affairs
IS - 9
ER -