• Center Home
  • Staff
  • Contact Us
• Projects
• Publications
• Data
• Related Links

Projects

Recreation Facilities and Physical Activity in Los Angeles

Principal Investigator: Deborah Cohen, MD, MPH

 
Community-based participatory research will be used to examine the impact of Proposition K (a 30 million dollar a year bonding initiative in Los Angeles to develop and renovate parks) on physical activity and other health outcomes.

 

This project will answer the following questions:

• Do improvements in the quality or accessibility of parks and recreational facilities result in increases in physical activity among children and adults?
• Do park improvements and construction of recreational facilities have an impact upon other aspects of health and functioning?
• Was Proposition K effective — and cost effective — in increasing physical activity?
• What were Proposition K's probable effects on morbidity?

Methodology

Community groups themselves will evaluate the impact of the effort. This community-based participatory research takes advantage of a large and unique natural experiment in which neighborhood groups and local government have been working together to design and build park facilities based on the needs of Los Angeles residents.

Intended product

The findings will inform interventions to promote physical activity and health nationwide.