Visits to public parks provide numerous benefits to individuals, including increased opportunities for physical activity. Access to parks and other types of green space for physical activity can be especially important for low-income urban residents who often lack alternative venues for outdoor recreation. This study examined safety-related facilitators and constraints to park-based physical activity (PA) for marginalized youth and adults in urban Kansas City, Missouri. The aim of the study was to “address issues of environmental justice by giving space to marginalized participants to express constructs of safety in their own words.”
Researchers conducted six focus group discussions (two youth groups, two adult groups, two parent groups) involving 41 urban residents “to elicit beliefs about attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy related to park-based PA.” Participants included both users and non-users of parks for PA. There were 26 adult participants and 15 youth (age 12 – 17). The majority were African-American; the rest White. There were more females than males. Study participants were asked to share ideas about what could help them be more physically active in parks and what gets in the way of being physically active.
Safety emerged as an issue in relation to both facilitators and constraints. Factors relating to safety as a facilitator for PA in parks include social interactions and the structural environment. For social interactions, both youth and adult participants identified the presence of fellow visitors as an element adding to their sense of safety, especially if they perceived the visitors as having similar intentions for being in the park. Participants also mentioned feeling safe when authority figures (police, park staff, or other security personnel) were visible. Elements of the structural environment adding to their sense of safety include secure parking, well-maintained trails, and good lighting. Safety factors serving as constraints to use of parks include violence, concerning behavior (loitering, drinking, rowdiness, etc.) lack of maintenance (broken play equipment, litter, unmowed grass, etc.), lack of lighting, and traffic/busy roads. The adults identified more safety related issues than youth. In fact, “youth perceive few concerns related to safety except where adult concerns constrain their independence.”
This study makes an important contribution to the literature by establishing safety as a multidimensional factor influencing park usage and physical activity. Findings highlight “the importance of both social and structural elements in creating or challenging safety” in urban parks. Specific recommendations are offered on how to minimize constraints and maximize facilitators around specific issues. Of note is the fact that attention to these recommendations may improve park access and safety among marginalized populations.
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