Summary
Research suggests that people who live near parks and open spaces are more physically active and have reduced risk of obesity. However, much of the existing research is cross-sectional which limits our ability to draw causal conclusions. This research examined the longitudinal association of objectively measured park availability with changes in weight status over approximately six years.
The research used data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LAFANS), a multi-level, population-based survey of individuals living in Los Angeles County administered from 2000-2002 and 2006-2008, respectively. Data from the California Protected Areas Database was cross-referenced with 2001 land use data from the Southern California Association of Governments to identify park space. Multilevel regression models examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal association of park availability with Body Mass Index (BMI) adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity and household income and accounting for clustering at the census tract.
