Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2019 Sep:174:102-109.
doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2019.06.002. Epub 2019 Jul 18.

Innovative playgrounds: use, physical activity, and implications for health

M Talarowski  1 , D A Cohen  2 , S Williamson  2 , B Han  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Innovative playgrounds: use, physical activity, and implications for health

M Talarowski et al. Public Health. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess the use and levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) occurring in innovative playgrounds in London vs. traditional playgrounds in the US in neighborhoods with a similar population density.

Study design: This is a cross-sectional observational study.

Methods: We selected a sample of London playgrounds based on their innovative design. One group of eight playgrounds was matched to the US playgrounds by size and population density; a second group of very large London playgrounds was matched only by population density. Playground use and person-hours of MVPA were measured using direct observation at similar times of the day and days of the week in all locations.

Results: The number of playground visit hours was 58% higher in London than in the US (394 vs 249). The matched London playgrounds had 37.8% more children and 129% more adults who were, respectively, engaging in 90% and 116% more MVPA. While the London playgrounds were nearly 8.5 times larger than the US ones, they attracted a total of 5.8 times more visitors (1399 vs 243, P < .0001), and this included 10 times as many adults (679 vs. 66, P < .0001) and 7.5 times more seniors (23 vs. 3). The London playgrounds included more amenities targeting adults.

Conclusions: The design of an innovative playground was associated with the amount of MVPA in similar-sized playgrounds, but the size of the playground was more strongly associated with the number of visitors. It is as important to design playgrounds for adults as it is for children to increase visit hours.

Keywords: Community health; Design; Physical activity; Playgrounds.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest:The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
UK Large Parks and US Small Parks : Users counted during 12 observation periods
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Variety of movements supported by parks in US and London
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Lobelo F, Puska P, Blair SN, Katzmarzyk PT. Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet. 2012;380(9838):219–229. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ding D, Kolbe-Alexander T, Nguyen B, Katzmarzyk PT, Pratt M, Lawson KD. The economic burden of physical inactivity: a systematic review and critical appraisal. British journal of sports medicine. 2017;51(19):1392–1409. - PubMed
    1. Ding D, Lawson KD, Kolbe-Alexander TL, et al. The economic burden of physical inactivity: a global analysis of major non-communicable diseases. Lancet. 2016;388(10051):1311–1324. - PubMed
    1. Tandon PS, Zhou C, Sallis JF, Cain KL, Frank LD, Saelens BE. Home environment relationships with children’s physical activity, sedentary time, and screen time by socioeconomic status. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity. 2012;9:88 PMCID: PMC. - PMC - PubMed
    1. WorldCitiesCultureforum. % of public green space (parks and gardens) http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/data/of-public-green-space-parks-.... 2019.

Publication types