Increasing access to places for physical activity through a joint use agreement: a case study in urban Honolulu.
BACKGROUND
To increase levels of physical activity (PA), interventions that create or enhance access to places for PA are recommended. Establishing a joint use agreement is one way to increase access to existing PA and recreational facilities. The purpose of this article is to present a case study of In-Motion, a pilot joint use agreement project at one urban high school in Honolulu, Hawaii.


BACKGROUND
Residents of urban Honolulu are underserved by the amount of parkland and recreational facilities available for their use. The Honolulu County Department of Parks and Recreation sought to implement a joint use agreement to use the facilities of one urban high school for a recreational program. The high school selected for the pilot project has a student population primarily from low-income and ethnic minority backgrounds.


METHODS
An assessment of the potential of 7 urban high schools to implement a joint use agreement was conducted to select the pilot site. In-Motion developed and implemented a joint use agreement. PA preferences of students, staff, and community members were assessed to guide recreational program offerings. Various recreational classes were offered free to the school community.


CONCLUSIONS
Several barriers to implementing the joint use agreement and recreational program were encountered. However, participants were satisfied with the recreational classes they attended and said that the In-Motion program helped them to engage in more PA. Program awareness by high school students and staff was high.


CONCLUSIONS
In-Motion has successfully modeled a pilot joint use agreement and provided new opportunities for PA to the high school's students, teachers, and staff, and to community residents.
Maddock
Jay
J
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Hawaii, 1960 East-West Rd, D-209, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. jmaddock@hawaii.edu
Choy
Lehua B
LB
Nett
Blythe
B
McGurk
Meghan D
MD
Tamashiro
Reid
R
D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D020446:Fitness Centers / Q000379:methods*; D006254:Hawaii; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011998:Recreation; D012574:Schools; D012931:Social Environment; D014505:Urban Population