Kids Who Live Near Parks Are Physically More Active

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Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Sports Medicine / Fitness;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 14 Mar 2009 - 5:00 PST

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According to a recent study submitted today at the American Heart Association's conference in Florida, children at risk of being overweight who live in close proximity to parks, green spaces or recreational areas are more physically active. The new ongoing Canadian study is exploring the link between park proximity and walking.

The children included in the study are all exposed to a potential risk for future weight problems because one of their parents is obese. To evaluate the effects of environment on obesity, the families will be monitored over the next ten years, or until subjects turn eighteen. To date, the researchers have established that girls live close to parks are motivated to walk to school, while boys seem to be like walking in their free time.

Lead author professor Tracie A. Barnett, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, and researcher at the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center says:"There's a strong association between walking and the number of nearby public open recreational spaces, including neighborhood parks, playgrounds and sports fields."

The likelihood of walking to school more than doubles for girls and leisure walking by boys increases by 60 percent, for each additional park located within half a mile from their home. The assessment took into consideration the average level of education and family income in the neighbourhood.

Dr.Barnett remarks "We related the proximity and number of parks to how often children aged 8-10 years walked. This is important, since active transportation is a promising public health strategy to increase physical activity and to help curb the obesity epidemic. We know that walking to school has been decreasing steadily for the past 30 years as obesity rates surged, which suggests these two phenomena may be linked."

The results disclosed at the American Heart Association´s conference are included in the Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth (QUALITY). Over six hundred children and their biological parents will be monitored in order to examine the natural history of excess weight and cardio-metabolic risks in childhood.

"Obesity in children and adolescents has tripled in the past two decades," writes Dr. Barnett. "Although obesity has many causes, this relatively sudden and steep increase suggests that the drivers of the obesity epidemic are largely environmental rather than biological or genetic in nature. Parks may benefit girls and boys differently, but are associated with increased overall walking for both."

About the study:
This research was conducted by members of TEAM PRODIGY, an inter-university research team including Université de Montréal, Concordia University, Université Laval, McGill University and INRS-Institut Armand Frappier. Co-authors include Marie Lambert, Yan Kestens, Lise Gauvin, Andraea Van Hulst and Mark Daniel.

Partners in research:
This study is supported by by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec.

On the Web:
About the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center
About the Université de Montréal
About the QUALITY study
About the American Heart Association conference

Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A)
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today