%0 Journal Article
%T The Physical Activity and Redesigned Community Spaces (PARCS) Study: protocol of a natural experiment to investigate the impact of citywide park redesign and renovation
%J BMC public health
%D 2016
%A Huang, Terry T. K.
%A Wyka, Katarzyna E.
%A Ferris, Emily B.
%A Gardner, Jennifer
%A Evenson, Kelly R.
%A Tripathi, Devanshi
%A Soto, Gabriel Martinez
%A Cato, Matthew S.
%A Moon, Jon
%A Wagner, Julia
%A Dorn, Joan M.
%A Catellier, Diane J.
%A Thorpe, Lorna E.
%V 16
%N 1
%P e1160-e1160
%X 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. <br><br>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. <br><br>DISCUSSION: This study represents a rare opportunity to provide robust evidence to further our understanding of the complex relationship between parks and health. <br><br>FINDINGS will inform future investments in health-oriented urban design policies and offer evidence for addressing health disparities through built environment strategies.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC
%@ 1471-2458
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3822-2