Parks and Recreation Programs Help to Reduce Childhood Obesity
Type
Policy Brief or Report
Year
2011
Level
County
State(s)
All States
Policy Areas
Children & Families, Economic Justice, Food, Health, Public Spaces
This policy brief discusses how access to parkland and recreational programs significantly reduces the risk of obesity in children and adolescents. It recommends that cities promote recreational programs in areas with fewer parks, convert vacant spaces into parkland, invest in traffic-calming measures to encourage walkability, and require the development of new public spaces.