title: Assessing the Environment for Support of Youth Physical Activity in Rural Communities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assess environmental support of physical activity (PA) in rural areas and determine whether there is a correlation between the measured environment for PA and participant perceptions of the environment for PA.
  
  
  METHODS
  The PA environment was assessed using the Active Neighborhood Checklist (ANC) and the Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA). Youth behavior and perceptions related to PA and the local environment were assessed using 5 questions from previously validated tools.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four rural low-income communities in South Dakota and Kansas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixth- through eighth-grade youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical Activity Resource Assessment, ANC, behavior, and perception.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors used ANOVA to determine whether there were differences in ANC, PARA, and Perception of the Environment scores among communities. Pearson correlations were used to assess associations between ANC and student perception of the environment and PARA and student perception of the environment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in total ANC or total PARA among communities. Perception was weakly correlated with total ANC (multivariate coefficient, 0.016; P = .026; n = 308) but not total PARA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perception of PA in rural communities may not match objective measures. Future research should work toward refining and improving existing environmental audit tools and developing new, comprehensive, location-specific tools.
authors: Health and Nutritional Sciences Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Comstock
authors: Health and Nutritional Sciences Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD. Electronic address: kendra.kattelmann@sdstate.edu.
authors: Kendra
authors: K
authors: Kattelmann
authors: South Dakota State University Extension Services, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.
authors: Marjorie
authors: M
authors: Zastrow
authors: Health and Nutritional Sciences Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.
authors: Lacey
authors: L
authors: McCormack
authors: Department of Human Nutrition, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
authors: Erika
authors: E
authors: Lindshield
authors: Department of Human Nutrition, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
authors: Yijing
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
authors: Nancy
authors: N
authors: Muturi
authors: Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
authors: Koushik
authors: K
authors: Adhikari
authors: Department of Human Nutrition, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
authors: Tandalayo
authors: T
authors: Kidd
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007615:Kansas; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013023:South Dakota
keywords: adolescent; environment; obesity; perception; physical activity