Inequities in neighborhood public park use for schoolchildren’s physical activity: multilevel evidence from Cordoba, Argentina

Julieta Lavin,Silvina Berra

doi:10.1590/1980-549720200102

Abstract

The complexity of urbanization processes across Latin American societies encourages investigating its implications in health conditions, especially during childhood. One of the possible links between them is recreation, a component of the daily life of children and, therefore, essential to produce health and life itself. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between neighborhood context and active public park use among school-aged children in Cordoba, Argentina. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1466 children, aged 9 to 11, attending 19 schools and living in 110 neighborhoods. Multilevel models with Poisson distribution were used for the analyses, stratified by gender. Socio-demographic, behavioral, and physical covariates were included at the individual level, and socioeconomic neighborhood conditions at second level. Girls residing in neighborhoods with a worse socioeconomic context were less likely to report frequent public park use for physical activity, while those from neighborhoods with better socioeconomic conditions were more likely to, regardless of individual characteristics. This study suggests that socioeconomic conditions of neighborhoods are associated with public park use for physical activity in school-aged girls, demonstrating gender inequality in the use and appropriation of public spaces.

Highlights

The complexity of urbanization processes across Latin American societies encourages investigating its implications in health conditions, especially during childhood
Girls residing in neighborhoods with a worse socioeconomic context were less likely to report frequent public park use for physical activity, while those from neighborhoods with better socioeconomic conditions were more likely to, regardless of individual characteristics
This study suggests that socioeconomic conditions of neighborhoods are associated with public park use for physical activity in school-aged girls, demonstrating gender inequality in the use and appropriation of public spaces

Summary

Introduction

The complexity of urbanization processes across Latin American societies encourages investigating its implications in health conditions, especially during childhood. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between neighborhood context and active public park use among school-aged children in Cordoba, Argentina. Conclusion: This study suggests that socioeconomic conditions of neighborhoods are associated with public park use for physical activity in school-aged girls, demonstrating gender inequality in the use and appropriation of public spaces. Approaches using neighborhoods as the main unit of analysis have been growing constantly in recent decades These are yet rarely used in Latin American countries, especially in Argentina. A paradigm shift from individual to ecological conceptual models is observed, most of this turn has focused on the influence of neighborhood-built environment at the expense of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions (despite previous research showing that a favorable social environment was positively associated with several measures of PA and that built environment was not significantly related[9,10])

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Discussion

Conclusion