September 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 44

Positive Outcome
This playground delivers

When the partners in Parks Build Community set out
to create a model playground at Marvin Gaye Park
in northeast Washington, D.C., they had a long-range
mission to document its benefits in order that urban
communities across the country could use its successes in building support for creation of their own parks
and playgrounds. That's when the Center for Health
and Risk Communications at George Mason University
in nearby Northern Virginia joined as a partner. Working with the staff of Washington Parks & People, Dr.
Gary Krepps of GMU created a program to observe
the playground at not only Marvin Gaye Park but also
a nearby playground that had not been refurbished
to provide an objective comparison. Dr. Autumn Saxton-Ross of WPP and students from American University in Washington observed activities at the two
playgrounds and surveyed residents in the community
to record their views on the park's efficacy.
The Parks Build Community partners knew from
experience that where undeveloped parks exist, the
prevalence of childhood obesity among pre-schoolers
increases significantly. This study demonstrates that
public parks are critical resources for physical activity, of
which there are three main types that contribute to good
health: aerobic, muscle-, and bone-strengthening. The
Marvin Gaye Park revitalization included the installation
of equipment to address these healthy activities-swing
set, cone-shaped activity center with swing and climbing nets, two spin apparatuses, and an octagon-shaped
piece of equipment with climbing nets. A safety surface
throughout the play area and park benches around the
perimeter completed the installation which presented
a safe and welcoming park. All equipment is designed
for use by all ages, regardless of ability or disability. The
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SEPTEMBER 2010

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study included a comparison park which simulates
same size, type, and neighborhood, but which has no
equipment, as well as observations and interviews.
Outcome of the observations and survey indicate:
1. The number of visitors to the play area increased
dramatically as a result of the revitalized park.
2. The proportion of use of the playground equipment in relation to participation in non-equipment
areas of the park was 78 percent versus 22 percent; the results showed that 85 percent of the
activities took place inside the playground area.
3. The most frequent primary activity for females of
the playground equipment was the swing set (53
percent) and the cone activity (27 percent). Secondarily, females used the spin apparatus (35 percent) and the cone activity (30 percent).
4. The most frequent primary activity for males
of the playground equipment was the swing
set (27 percent) and use of combined equipment (29 percent).
5. The proportion of those who were physically active was 76.7 percent, while only 23.3 percent
were sedentary. Females were more active than
males (84 percent of females were active while 70
percent of males were engaged).
6. The average amount of time spent in the playground area of the park by all individuals in the
sample of 25.13 minutes. While 60 minutes per day
is recommended by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services for youth between ages of
6 and 17 to reduce risk of developing obesity and
chronic diseases, this revitalized park nevertheless contributes significantly to the recommended
amount of daily physical activity.

September 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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