title: Still Separate, Still Unequal: Social Determinants of Playground Safety and Proximity Disparities in St. Louis.
abstract: Physical activity among youth is shaped by the natural and built environment within which they live; however, few studies have focused on assessing playground safety and proximity in detail as part of the built environment for youth physical activity. We analyzed data on 100 publicly accessible playgrounds from Play Across St. Louis, a community-partnered study of the built environment for youth physical activity. Outcomes included overall playground safety, maintenance, and construction scores; distance to nearest playground; and distance to nearest top playground. Independent variables included neighborhood % youth, % black residents, % owner-occupied units, and % vacant units. Playgrounds in the city have varying degrees of safety and proximity. Mean overall playground safety score was 67.0 % (CI = 63.5, 70.4). Neighborhood % youth and % black residents were inversely associated with overall playground safety (p = 0.03 and p < 0.01) and maintenance (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001). Mean distance to nearest playground was 638.1 and 1488.3 m to nearest top playground. Clusters of low safety scores were found in the northern and central areas while all high safety score clusters were found in the southern part of St. Louis. Public playground safety and proximity vary across St. Louis neighborhoods, especially by neighborhood demographics. Disparities in playground safety and proximity reveal an opportunity to develop community-wide interventions focused on playgrounds for youth activity. Further work is needed to examine the association between playground safety, proximity, and use and youth physical activity and weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. arroyojohnsonc@wudosis.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5449-7652
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arroyo-Johnson
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.|Evaluation and Analysis, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Milam
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Goldie
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Komaie
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Melody S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.|Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
authors.forename: J Aaron
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hipp
mesh_terms: D054624:Health Status Disparities; D008923:Missouri; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012449:Safety; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Built environment; Health disparities; Playground safety; Youth physical activity