title: Are Food Deserts Also Play Deserts?
abstract: Although food deserts are areas that lack easy access to food outlets and considered a barrier to a healthy diet and a healthy weight among residents, food deserts typically comprise older urban areas which may have many parks and street configurations that could facilitate more physical activity. However, other conditions may limit the use of available facilities in these areas. This paper assesses the use of parks in two Pittsburgh food desert neighborhoods by using systematic observation. We found that while the local parks were accessible, they were largely underutilized. We surveyed local residents and found that only a minority considered the parks unsafe for use during the day, but a substantial proportion suffered from health limitations that interfered with physical activity. Residents also felt that parks lacked programming and other amenities that could potentially draw more park users. Parks programming and equipment in food desert areas should be addressed to account for local preferences and adjusted to meet the needs and limitations of local residents, especially seniors.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA. dcohen@rand.org.
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA.|RAND Corporation, 4570 Fifth Ave, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA.|RAND Corporation, 4570 Fifth Ave, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dubowitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002947:Cities; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000068316:Parks, Recreational / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012449:Safety; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Food deserts; Health disparities; Parks; Physical activity