Preventing Chronic Disease | Physical Activity Surveillance in Parks Using Direct Observation - CDC

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Preventing Chronic Disease | Physical Activity Surveillance in Parks Using Direct Observation - CDC

Physical Activity Surveillance in Parks Using Direct Observation

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• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Tables

Phillip Ward, PhD; Thomas L. McKenzie, PhD; Deborah Cohen, MD, MPH; Kelly R. Evenson, PhD; Daniela Golinelli, PhD; Amy Hillier, PhD; Sandra C. Lapham, MD, MPH; Stephanie Williamson

Suggested citation for this article: Ward P, McKenzie TL, Cohen D, Evenson KR, Golinelli D, Hillier A, et al. Physical Activity Surveillance in Parks Using Direct Observation. Prev Chronic Dis 2014;11:130147. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.130147.

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Abstract

Introduction
Primary features of observational public health surveillance instruments are that they are valid, can reliably estimate physical activity behaviors, and are useful across diverse geographic settings and seasons by different users. Previous studies have reported the validity and reliability of Systematic Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) to estimate park and user characteristics. The purpose of this investigation was to establish the use of SOPARC as a surveillance instrument and to situate the findings from the study in the context of the previous literature.

Methods
We collected data by using SOPARC for more than 3 years in 4 locations: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Chapel Hill/Durham, North Carolina; and Albuquerque, New Mexico during spring, summer, and autumn.

Results
We observed a total of 35,990 park users with an overall observer reliability of 94% (range, 85%–99%) conducted on 15% of the observations. We monitored the proportion of park users engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and found marginal differences in MVPA by both city and season. Park users visited parks significantly more on weekend days than weekdays and visitation rates tended to be lower during summer than spring.

Conclusion
SOPARC is a highly reliable observation instrument that can be used to collect data across diverse geographic settings and seasons by different users and has potential as a surveillance system.

Author Information

Corresponding Author: Phillip Ward, PhD, The Ohio State University, Department of Human Sciences; Room A256, 305 West 17th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210-1221. Telephone: 614-688-8435. E-mail: ward.116@osu.edu.

Author Affiliations: Thomas L. McKenzie, San Diego State University, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego, California; Deborah Cohen, Daniela Golinelli, Stephanie Williamson, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica California; Kelly R. Evenson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Amy Hillier, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sandra C. Lapham, Behavioral Research Center of the Southwest/PIRE, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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