Abstract
Children are significantly less active during summer months and rural children may face unique barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA). Play Streets is a low-cost way communities can provide safe play opportunities by activating public spaces. Four low-income rural communities received mini-grants to implement four three-hour Play Streets throughout summer 2017 for a total of 16 Play Streets. System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) and iSOPARC® were used to assess PA. Chi-squared tests of homogeneity determined significant differences in the proportion of children observed as active based on sex and target area type. Binomial logistic regression was used to determine if target area characteristics (i.e., type, equipped, supervised, organized) and presence of other active children or adults increased the odds of observing a child as active. In total, 1,750 children were observed across all 16 Play Streets; roughly half of all children (48.6% of males, 48.7% of females) were observed as active. There was no significant difference in proportion of children observed as active based on sex of the child (OR=0.99, 95% CI:0.82-1.20). Significant differences in the proportion of active children were found between target area categories. Males were significantly more likely to be observed as active in areas which were equipped or organized. All children were significantly more likely to be active if there was another active child present in the same area. These results add to the growing literature surrounding successful implementation of Play Streets in rural settings, social influence, and active play.
Highlights
While childhood obesity is a prevalent public health issue across the United States (Kranjac & Wagmiller, 2019), rural children are more likely to be overweight or obese compared to urban children (Probst et al, 2018)
A metaanalysis indicated that odds of obesity are 26% higher for rural children compared to urban children (Johnson & Johnson, 2015).This disparity is widened when considering rural children of color (Davis et al, 2011; Kenney et al, 2014)
There was no significant difference in proportion of children observed as active based on sex of the child (OR = 0.99, 95% CI [0.82-1.20])
Summary
While childhood obesity is a prevalent public health issue across the United States (Kranjac & Wagmiller, 2019), rural children are more likely to be overweight or obese compared to urban children (Probst et al, 2018). Geographic dispersion and lack of access to physical activity resources such as parks and recreation centers are barriers that impact rural residents more than urban (Hansen et al, 2015; Umstattd Meyer et al, 2016). These barriers may be even more evident in low-income areas and communities of color, as they have fewer quality physical activity resources (Powell et al, 2006). Results from our previously published research suggest that rural Play Streets encourage active play for both boys and girls (Umstattd Meyer, Bridges Hamilton, et al, 2019). A more in-depth analysis of the proportion of children observed as active by sex and type of activity is needed to further understand Play Streets implementation and other temporary play opportunities
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