Abstract
BackgroundLatinx children in the United States are at high risk for nature-deficit disorder, heat-related illness, and physical inactivity. We developed the Green Schoolyards Project to investigate how green features—trees, gardens, and nature trails—in school parks impact heat index (i.e., air temperature and relative humidity) within parks, and physical activity levels and socioemotional well-being of these children. Herein, we present novel methods for a) observing children’s interaction with green features and b) measuring heat index and children’s behaviors in a natural setting, and a selection of baseline results.MethodsDuring two September weeks (high temperature) and one November week (moderate temperature) in 2019, we examined three joint-use elementary school parks in Central Texas, United States, serving predominantly low-income Latinx families. To develop thermal profiles for each park, we installed 10 air temperature/relative humidity sensors per park, selecting sites based on land cover, land use, and even spatial coverage. We measured green features within a geographic information system. In a cross-sectional study, we used an adapted version of System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) to assess children’s physical activity levels and interactions with green features. In a cohort study, we equipped 30 3rd and 30 4th grade students per school during recess with accelerometers and Global Positioning System devices, and surveyed these students regarding their connection to nature. Baseline analyses included inverse distance weighting for thermal profiles and summing observed counts of children interacting with trees.ResultsIn September 2019, average daily heat index ranged 2.0 °F among park sites, and maximum daily heat index ranged from 103.4 °F (air temperature = 33.8 °C; relative humidity = 55.2%) under tree canopy to 114.1 °F (air temperature = 37.9 °C; relative humidity = 45.2%) on an unshaded playground. 10.8% more girls and 25.4% more boys interacted with trees in September than in November.ConclusionsWe found extreme heat conditions at select sites within parks, and children positioning themselves under trees during periods of high heat index. These methods can be used by public health researchers and practitioners to inform the redesign of greenspaces in the face of climate change and health inequities.
Highlights
Latinx children in the United States are at high risk for nature-deficit disorder, heat-related illness, and physical inactivity
Thermal profiles of school parks Average daily heat index was 87.4 °F in September and 62.4 °F in November across the three parks, with average daily heat index ranging from 86.8 °F to 88.8 °F from September 16–30th, in 2019 (Fig. 4)
The minimum and maximum values of this range originated from the intervention park at two sites less than 50 m apart: a playground under heavy tree canopy (Target Area 18) and an unshaded playground (Target Area 9), respectively (Fig. 3A2)
Summary
Latinx children in the United States are at high risk for nature-deficit disorder, heat-related illness, and physical inactivity. Communities of color and low-income families disproportionately live in areas characterized by urban heat islands [7], the phenomenon in which cities experience higher temperatures than nearby areas due to high amounts of impervious materials, lack of vegetation, morphology, and waste heat from industrial processes [8]. Along with their high risk for nature-deficit disorder and heat-related illness, Black and Latinx children from low-income families are less physically active than other groups [9, 10]. To compound the problem, elevated temperatures have been found to be negatively associated with children’s physical activity [13]
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