Protecting our Health: A GIS Spatial Analysis of Park Availability and Chronic Disease across Age Groups

Purpose: Parks are important community resources that offer numerous individual, social, economic, and environmental benefits. However, few public health studies have utilized geographic information systems to examine how parks are related to chronic disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the spatial relationship between park availability and incidence of chronic health concerns (CHCs) across age groups in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO). Methods: Adult data (n=693) were obtained from a survey of randomly-selected households across KCMO. Respondents indicated applicable chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, diabetes) and were categorized as having 0, 1, or 2+CHCs. Geographically-referenced park data were obtained from the City of KCMO and ArcView10.0 was used to determine park availability (yes/no) within a ½ mile street network buffer of each respondent's home. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between having a park within ½ mile and the likelihood of having 0 (reference group), 1, or 2+CHCs. Analyses were conducted for three age categories (18-39, 40-59, and 60+ years), controlling for gender, race, BMI, and income. Results: There were no significant associations between park availability and CHCs for the 18-39 or 60+ age groups. However, among respondents ages 40-59, those without a park within ½ mile from home were more than twice as likely to have 2+CHCs compared to respondents that had a park nearby (OR=2.28,CI=1.05-4.94). Conclusion: Within healthy community planning efforts, parks may be an important protective factor for chronic diseases, especially among middle-aged adults who are still mobile but at risk for onset of CHCs.