Abstract
Longitudinal, natural experiments provide an ideal evaluation approach to better understand the impact of built environment interventions on community health outcomes, particularly health disparities. As there are many participant engagement challenges inherent in the design of large-scale community-based studies, adaptive and iterative participant engagement strategies are critical. This paper shares practical lessons learned from the Physical Activity and Redesigned Community Spaces (PARCS) study, which is an evaluation of the impact of a citywide park renovation initiative on physical activity, psychosocial health, and community well-being. The PARCS study, although ongoing, has developed several approaches to improve participant engagement: building trust with communities, adapting the study protocol to meet participants’ needs and to reflect their capacity for participation, operational flexibility, and developing tracking systems. These strategies may help researchers anticipate and respond to participant engagement challenges in community-based studies, particularly in low-income communities of color.
Highlights
Given the projection that obesity prevalence among US adults will rise to 49% by 2030 [1] and the many health problems associated with obesity [2], obesity and physical inactivity continue to be major public health issues [3,4,5]
Fewer Hispanic adults of all races (21.3%) and non-Hispanic Black adults (20.1%) met the 2008 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines compared with non-Hispanic White adults (25.6%) [12]
Given the complex drivers fueling the obesity epidemic and the entrenched social and environmental causes of health disparities, a strategic range of interventions tailored to diverse communities is critical to effectively address obesity, physical inactivity, and the associated health disparities in the United States [13]
Summary
Given the projection that obesity prevalence among US adults will rise to 49% by 2030 [1] and the many health problems associated with obesity [2], obesity and physical inactivity continue to be major public health issues [3,4,5]. Black and Hispanic communities in the United States have higher rates of obesity and physical inactivity and are disproportionately at risk of associated, myriad health issues [6,7,8,9]. Compared with non-Hispanic White adults (37.9%), both Hispanic adults of all races (47.0%) and non-Hispanic Black adults (46.8%) have a higher prevalence of obesity [10]. Fewer Hispanic adults of all races (21.3%) and non-Hispanic Black adults (20.1%) met the 2008 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines compared with non-Hispanic White adults (25.6%) [12]. Given the complex drivers fueling the obesity epidemic and the entrenched social and environmental causes of health disparities, a strategic range of interventions tailored to diverse communities is critical to effectively address obesity, physical inactivity, and the associated health disparities in the United States [13]
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