Physical Activity in Communities

RWJF Priority: Increase physical activity by improving the built environment in communities

When children have safe places to walk, bike and play in their communities, they’re more likely to be active and less likely to be obese. Communities can increase opportunities for physical activity by building new sidewalks, bike paths, parks, and playgrounds—and by improving those that already exist.

To encourage families to use these resources and facilities, communities can implement traffic-safety measures and neighborhood watch programs, so children are safe when playing outside. Such measures are especially important in underserved communities, where residents often face high crime rates, dangerous traffic patterns, and unsafe sidewalks.

The resources below, from RWJF grantees and partners, highlight recent efforts to identify the most promising solutions for promoting physical activity in communities.

Childhood Obesity Policy Priorities

From the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids

Renovating Northgate Park in Camden, NJ

"We want to see kids and families active." The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids helped to rennovate Camden's Northgate Park, where residents can now use the new playground and participate in activities like tennis, volleyball, and cycling.

Watch the video

From Active Living Research

Do All Children Have Places to be Active?

Children who live in communities of color and lower-income communities are more likely to live in neighborhoods that do not support physical activity.

Read the brief

From Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities

A Healthier Park

Chicago's healthy improvements to Humbolt Park include installing community gardens and healthy vending machines, and improving pedestrian access to parks.

Watch the video

From Salud America!

Physical Activity, Overweight and Obesity Among Latino Youth

Transportation issues, safety concerns, and lack recreational opportunities are some of the factors that prevent Latino youths from being active and encourage sedentary behaviors.

Read the brief

From Active Living Research

Promoting Physical Activity Through the Shared Use of School and Community Recreational Resources

Shared use of school and community recreational facilities are a cost-effective way to promote physical activity in a community.

Learn more

3 p.m. to Bedtime: Crunch Time for Children and Obesity

Crunch Time: Challenges and Solutions

A poll reveals that many parents face a variety of barriers to helping their children lead healthy lives, especially during the "crunch time" from 3 p.m. to bedtime.

Learn more

You are now viewing 1 - 11 of 22 results

Sort results by:

Refine Your Results

By Topic

featured

Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Latino Church Leaders' Perspectives on Childhood Obesity Prevention

March 1, 2013 | Journal Article

Church leaders express willingness to address obesity and promote health in their congregations.

Assessment for Active Living

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This study used data from focus groups, interviews, and the ALbD Progress Reporting System to examine community assessments conducted by the partnerships.

Active Living by Design: Sustainability Strategies

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

A descriptive view of the challenges faced by communities in promoting and instigating changes to make their communities more physically active.

A Walking School Bus Program

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

Walking to school is a good way for children to get moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity. But safety concerns sometimes limit children from walking unattended to school.

Active Living by Design's Contributions to the Movement

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

Reflections on the first nine years of a program to create environments more conducive to routine physical activity and health.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities

February 17, 2012 | Program Result Report

In Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, partnerships in 49 communities nationwide are changing local policies and revamping the physical environment to foster healthy living and prevent childhood obesity.

The Relationship Between Perceptions of Neighborhood Characteristics and Obesity Among Children

April 1, 2011 | Book

This policy paper is from a series published by the National Bureau of Economic Research on obesity in the United States. The authors examined whether maternal perceptions of neighborhood environment affect children’s body weight.

Physical Activity

April 1, 2011 | Book

This policy paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research examines factors contributing to obesity, such as physical inactivity. Data are taken from surveys conducted as part of the 2000-2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey.

Fitness with Partnerships

January 1, 2010 | Story

The residents of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida have taken an active role in the development of major public health projects. The city is using a broad strategy, leveraging all of its resources to improve the health of its citizens.

Development of the Rural Active Living Assessment Tools

January 1, 2010 | Journal Article

Obesity is a problem in rural, as well as urban, U.S. communities. Researchers have developed a set of easy-to-use, accessible assessment tools to help rural communities examine how friendly their locales are to healthy, active living.