@article{ref1,
title="Effects of trees, gardens, and nature trails on heat index and child health: design and methods of the Green Schoolyards Project",
journal="BMC public health",
year="2021",
author="Kohl, Harold W. 3rd and Hoelscher, Deanna M. and Alcazar, Melody and Lanza, Kevin",
volume="21",
number="1",
pages="e98-e98",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Latinx children in the United States are at high risk for nature-deficit disorder, heat-related illness, and physical inactivity. We developed the Green  Schoolyards Project to investigate how green features-trees, gardens, and nature  trails-in school parks impact heat index (i.e., air temperature and relative  humidity) within parks, and physical activity levels and socioemotional well-being  of these children. Herein, we present novel methods for a) observing children's  interaction with green features and b) measuring heat index and children's behaviors  in a natural setting, and a selection of baseline results. <br><br>METHODS: During two  September weeks (high temperature) and one November week (moderate temperature) in  2019, we examined three joint-use elementary school parks in Central Texas, United  States, serving predominantly low-income Latinx families. To develop thermal  profiles for each park, we installed 10 air temperature/relative humidity sensors  per park, selecting sites based on land cover, land use, and even spatial coverage. We measured green features within a geographic information system. In a  cross-sectional study, we used an adapted version of System for Observing Play and  Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) to assess children's physical activity levels and  interactions with green features. In a cohort study, we equipped 30 3rd and 30 4th  grade students per school during recess with accelerometers and Global Positioning  System devices, and surveyed these students regarding their connection to nature. Baseline analyses included inverse distance weighting for thermal profiles and  summing observed counts of children interacting with trees. <br><br>RESULTS: In September  2019, average daily heat index ranged 2.0 °F among park sites, and maximum daily  heat index ranged from 103.4 °F (air temperature = 33.8 °C; relative humidity =  55.2%) under tree canopy to 114.1 °F (air temperature = 37.9 °C; relative humidity =  45.2%) on an unshaded playground. 10.8% more girls and 25.4% more boys interacted  with trees in September than in November. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We found extreme heat  conditions at select sites within parks, and children positioning themselves under  trees during periods of high heat index. These methods can be used by public health  researchers and practitioners to inform the redesign of greenspaces in the face of  climate change and health inequities.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-2458",
doi="10.1186/s12889-020-10128-2",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10128-2"
}