The association of park use and park perception with quality of life using structural equation modeling.

Introduction: The literature is limited on the impact of neighborhood parks on quality of life (QoL) and the mechanism linking them. Methods: In this paper, we applied the structural equation model to data from a cross-sectional sample of 650 participants in low-income communities of New York City, we examined the associations of neighborhood park use vs. park perception and QoL, and whether these associations were mediated through self-reported perceived stress. We also examined whether park use mediated the relationship between park perception and QoL. Results: We found that park use had a significant but weak association with QoL (standardized ß = 0.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02, 0.15, p = 0.02), but this relationship was not mediated by self-reported stress. Park perception was more strongly associated with QoL than park use (standardized ß = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.30, p < 0.01), and this was partly mediated by self-reported stress (indirect effect- standardized ß = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.13, p < 0.01) and, to a lesser extent, by park use (indirect effect- standardized ß = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.02, p = 0.01). Discussion: Having well-perceived parks appears to be an important factor for QoL independent of park use, suggesting that quality parks may benefit everyone in a community beyond park users. This strengthens the argument in favor of increasing park investment as a strategy to improve population wellbeing.

Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Community-Based Longitudinal Studies in Diverse Urban Neighborhoods.

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.

Correlates of accelerometry non-adherence in an economically disadvantaged minority urban adult population.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine socio-demographic and psychosocial correlates of non-adherence to an accelerometry protocol in an economically disadvantaged urban population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We analyzed 985 New York City adult participants aged 18-81 years from the Physical Activity and Redesigned Community Spaces (PARCS) study. Participants were asked to wear a hip-worn ActiGraph GT3X-BT accelerometer for one week. Adherent accelerometer wear was defined as ≥3 days of ≥8 h/day of wear over a 7-day period and non-adherent accelerometry wear was defined as any wear less than adherent wear from returned accelerometers. Examined correlates of adherence included sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics (e.g., general physical/mental health-related quality of life, self-efficacy for exercise, stress, sense of community/neighborhood well-being, and social cohesion). RESULTS: From the total sample, 636 (64.6%) participants provided adherent wear and 349 (35.4%) provided non-adherent wear. In multivariable analysis, younger age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53-0.75), poorer health-related quality of life (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.65-0.98 for physical health and OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.62-0.94 for mental health), lower sense of community (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.62-1.00) and current smoking status (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.35-2.86) were associated with non-adherent wear. CONCLUSIONS: Non-adherent wear was associated with younger age, smoking, and lower self-reported physical/mental functioning and sense of community. This information can inform targeted adherence strategies to improve physical activity and sedentary behavior estimates from accelerometry data in future studies involving an urban minority population.

The Physical Activity and Redesigned Community Spaces (PARCS) Study: Protocol of a natural experiment to investigate the impact of citywide park redesign and renovation.

BACKGROUND: The built environment plays a critical role in promoting physical activity and health. The association between parks, as a key attribute of the built environment, and physical activity, however, remains inconclusive. This project leverages a natural experiment opportunity to assess the impact of the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), a citywide park redesign and renovation effort in New York City, on physical activity, park usage, psychosocial and mental health, and community wellbeing. METHODS: The project will use a longitudinal design with matched controls. Thirty intervention park neighborhoods are socio-demographically matched to 20 control park neighborhoods. The study will investigate whether improvements in physical activity, park usage, psychosocial and mental health, and community wellbeing are observed from baseline to 3 years post-renovation among residents in intervention vs. control neighborhoods. DISCUSSION: This study represents a rare opportunity to provide robust evidence to further our understanding of the complex relationship between parks and health. Findings will inform future investments in health-oriented urban design policies and offer evidence for addressing health disparities through built environment strategies.