June 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 25

health, such as education, childhood
development, parks, mass transit, employment, healthy design in the built
environment, and neighborhood grocery stores are important to improve
the health of our community. Health
inequalities are preventable. "
Fit Outcomes
The concept of parks as partners in
fitness is becoming more ingrained
in the Miami-Dade population with
each visit to one of Rivera's public
health staff members. " We deliver
the message every day that parks play
a critical role in improving health, "
she says. " The reality is that [PROS]
is helping residents be more physically active, feel a connection with their
neighbors and enjoy the benefits of a
healthy environment. "
And how does that help manifest,
exactly? " There are several key points
to keep in mind, " Rivera says. " Parks
provide people with a way to contact
with nature, which is known to confer
certain health benefits and enhance
well-being. Physical activity opportunities in parks help to increase fitness
and reduce obesity. Parks resources
can mitigate climate, air and water pollution impacts on public health. Cities
need to provide all types of parks, to
provide their various citizen groups
with a range of health benefits. "
Rivera identifies " Fit2Play " as a particularly successful collaborative health
program created through a DOH-Miami-Dade/PROS partnership. " It has
been proven that [Fit2Play] makes
kids healthier, " she says. " The initial
results of a study that Sarah Messiah,
Ph.D., research associate professor of
pediatrics [at the University of Miami], is conducting in partnership with
[PROS] have found that the Fit2Play
after-school program offered in many
county parks is 'highly effective' in im

proving the health of kids, reducing
and preventing childhood obesity, and
other health risk factors " (http://bit.
ly/1FfhPMO). [PROS] established the
program in response to startling statistics that showed the rate of obesity
and overweight adults in Miami-Dade
County was even higher than the national average. "

For Rivera, partnerships that facilitate programs like Fit2Play are a
no-brainer. " DOH-Miami-Dade and
[PROS] are logical partners in local
efforts to build healthy communities, as they both focus on improving
community livability and promoting
healthy lifestyles, " she says. " Miami-Dade health officials implement

" It is very important to understand that where we
live, work and play makes a difference on your health
status and that our social conditions also make a
difference. "
Indeed, according to an article
published by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,
" Messiah found that Fit2Play participants maintained healthy weight
and BMI throughout the school year,
and those who started the program
with high blood pressure lowered it.
The school children also improved
their physical health, fitness levels,
and knowledge about nutrition and
healthy lifestyle behavior. "
Parks were essential to the success
of Fit2Play. The cost to participate
in the program was minimal - with
sliding payment scales - and it was
offered at 34 parks across the county
where kids would engage in exercise
and nutrition education through fun
activities like obstacle courses and relay challenges. Daily Fit2Play sessions
include homework help and SPARK
(Sports, Play and Active Recreation
for Kids) activities, which are designed to develop and improve motor
skills, movement and social skills. The
American Heart Association and Alliance for a Healthier Generation's empowerME4Life curriculum was used
to impart nutritional education.

local prevention and wellness initiatives and park and recreation officials
promote community use of recreational facilities and involvement in
healthy lifestyle programming. "
We Don't All Live in Miami
Rivera acknowledges the weather in
her locale plays a major role in the success of promoting outdoor exercise in
local parks, as well as the allure of its
world-class parks system. However,
she assures that even those of us who
don't live in 80-degree weather yearround can also make ready use of community parks. " Add physical activity to
your daily routine. For example, walk
or ride your bike to work or shopping,
organize school activities around physical activity, walk the dog and park farther away from your destination, " she
advises. " Exercise with the kids, or other family members or friends! Go for
a walk in our parks and open spaces.
You can spend time together and still
get your exercise. "
Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor
of Parks & Recreation magazine (sbartram@
nrpa.org).

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