Association of perceived and objective park access with physical activity and obesity among adolescents

Background: Regular physical activity is important for maintaining health and preventing obesity. Parks and other open spaces provide important opportunities for youth to be physically active. However, few studies have compared the association of both perceived and objective access to parks with physical activity and obesity among youth. Methods: Data are from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based survey of California households, and the California Protected Areas Database. We examined the association of perceived and objectively measured park availability with physical activity and obesity while adjusting for park use and perceptions of safety as well as age, gender, race, and income. Results: In regression analyses adjusting for the factors listed above, objective park availability and recent park use, but not perceived park availability, were associated with physical activity. Specifically, adolescents living in walking distance of a park and those who recently visited a park were more likely to engage in regular physical activity. Conversely, objective park availability and recent park use were not significantly associated with obesity. However, perceived park availability and perceptions of park safety were associated with obesity - adolescents who self-reported having a park within walking distance and adolescents who perceived their neighborhood parks as safe were less likely to be obese. Conclusions: Increasing access to places to engage in physical activity may be helpful for promoting physical activity and preventing obesity. However, additional research is needed to understand the relationship between perceived and objective access to parks.