Five years ago, NRPA was awarded a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that helped elevate the role of parks and recreation in the public health world. The grant promoted the development of community-based coalitions — park and recreation agencies working in partnership with schools, businesses, local health departments, hospitals, mayors and other community leaders to develop strategies that build healthy environments and create healthier places to live, work, learn and play. With the alarming health trends in obesity, it had become clear then that park and recreation agencies needed to join the public health fight to combat chronic disease.
Today, several national initiatives and priorities include parks and recreation as an essential strategy for reducing chronic diseases and related risk factors. The National Physical Activity Plan that aims to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population includes a dedicated sector for parks, recreation, sports and fitness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Guide to Community Preventive Services calls for enhanced access to places for physical activity. The former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin issued a call to action on walking, targeting groups such as park and recreation agencies to build policies and strategies that will make communities more walkable. The American Public Health Association recently adopted a policy statement that calls on public health and medical professionals to raise awareness about the health benefits of spending time in nature and of nature-based play and recreation. Even more recently, First Lady Michelle Obama applauded NRPA’s efforts to bring healthy eating and physical activity standards to community park and recreation programs throughout the country.
We have come a long way in just five years, but like many fields, public health is constantly changing in response to new challenges and issues facing our nation. Two important topics in today’s public health conversations are shaping how we move our health and wellness agenda forward at NRPA:
Eliminating Health Disparities
Considerable gaps remain between the healthiest people and the least healthy. We know that disparities exist in distribution of and access to public park and recreation facilities, and these inequities are negatively impacting the health of many Americans. A recent report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation urges that we change how we revitalize neighborhoods by fully integrating health into community development, especially for low-income neighborhoods (Time to Act: Investing in the Health of Our Children and Communities). Park and recreation agencies are well-positioned in the community to implement policies and environmental strategies that reduce disparities in obesity prevalence.
Promoting “Health in All Policies”
“Health in All Policies” is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decisionmaking across sectors and policy areas (Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments). This approach encourages traditional public health agencies, such as local health departments, and those who are best-positioned in the community to create policies and practices that promote healthy communities and environments, such as local park and recreation agencies, to work together to promote health, equity and sustainability. The goal is to break down the siloed nature of government to advance collaboration.
As the national conversation focuses more on addressing health inequities and promoting collaborative approaches to building healthy environments, NRPA has also expanded its focus. We are advancing efforts to more closely examine play deserts and promote access to parks. We are working with advocacy groups to promote safe routes to parks. Our nutrition portfolio has grown to better connect low-income children with healthy meals and nutrition education. And we are engaging numerous partners, such as schools, planners and physicians, to improve our neighborhoods and provide kids with safe and quality places for active play.
Keeping up with public health trends can be a challenge. While we cannot predict the issues we will face five or 10 years from now, we do know that together we can make a difference today that will impact generations to come.
Zarnaaz Bashir, MPH, is NRPA’s Director of Health Initiatives.