Fast Fact Library

A controlled, randomized trial of 12 low-income New York elementary schools indicates that school gardens can positively contribute to increased physical activity in children. Children at schools that received a...

Nancy M. Wells, Beth M. Myers, and Charles R. Henderson Jr. “School gardens and physical activity: A randomized controlled trial of low-income elementary schools.” Preventative Medicine 69 (December 2014): S27-S33.

Children who play surrounded by elements like logs and flowers show increased levels of physical activity, according to a University of Tennessee study that looked at behavior before and after a traditional...

Coe, D. P., J. I. Flynn, D. L. Wolff, S. N. Scott, and S. Durham. (2014). Children’s Physical Activity Levels and Utilization of a Traditional versus Natural Playground. Children Youth and Environments, 24(3), 1-15.

More at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121011135036.htm

In a study of 427 children aged 10-11 in Bristol, UK, children who spent more time outdoors after school were more likely to be physically active. For every hour spent outside playing with friends, the children...

Pearce, Matthew, Angie S. Page, Tom P. Griffin, and Ashley R. Cooper. (2014)  Who children spend time with after school: Associations with objectively recorded indoor and outdoor physical activity. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 11(1). 45. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-11-45

A study on the effects of walkability and investment returns showed that, on a 100-point scale, a 10-point increase in walkability increased values by 1–9%, depending on property type. The value of more than 4,200...

Pivo, Gary, and Jeffrey D. Fisher. (2011). The walkability premium in commercial real estate investments. Real Estate Economics, 39(2), 185-219.

An eight-year longitudinal study of 3,173 children from 12 communities in Southern California suggests that if all children had commensurate access to parkland and recreation programs near their homes, over 9.5% of...

Berhane, Kiros, Brady, Kirby, Chang, Roger, Dahmann, Nicholas, Gilliland, Frank, Jerrett, Michael, McConnell, Rob, Reynolds, Kim, Su, Jason G., Wolch, Jennifer. (2011) Childhood obesity and proximity to urban parks and recreational resources: A longitudinal cohort study. Health & Place 17, 207-214.

In a study of physically inactive adults in New South Wales, Australia, interesting scenery, including neighborhood aesthetics and greenery, and good street lighting at night, correlated with an increased amount of...

Merom, Dafna, Adrian Bauman, Philayrath Phongsavan, Ester Cerin, Mazen Kassis, Wendy Brown, Ben J. Smith, and Chris Rissel. (2009). Can a motivational intervention overcome an unsupportive environment for walking – findings from the Step-by-Step Study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 38(2), 137-146.

In a London, Ontario study, aside from living close to school, the presence of street trees and living in a mixed land-use neighborhood were the only other physical environment features that significantly correlated...

Larsen, Kristian, Jason Gilliland, Paul Hess, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin, and Meizi He. “The Influence of the Physical Environment and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Children’s Mode of Travel to and From School.” American Journal of Public Health 99, no. 3 (2009): 520–26. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2008.135319.

Parks containing a paved or unpaved trail and parks with wooded areas were 7 times more likely to be used for physical activity than parks without such features. The size of the park and its distance from users'...

Kaczynski, Andrew T., Potwarka, Luke, Saelens, Brian E. (2008) Association of park size, distance, and features with physical activity in neighborhood parks. American Journal of Public Health 98(8), 1451-1457.

A study of 8 British schools revealed that moderate to vigorous physical activity levels were 32% higher for children on playgrounds with brightly colored markings as compared to activity levels of children on...

Stratton, Gareth, and Elaine Mullan. “The Effect of Multicolor Playground Markings on Children’s Physical Activity Level during Recess.” Preventive Medicine 41, no. 5-6 (2005): 828-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.07.009.

In a Portland, Oregon study of elderly women living alone, urban form with mixed services and good pedestrian access was associated with more walking. Additionally, elderly women in standard suburban residencies...

Patterson, Patricia K., and Nancy J. Chapman. (2004). Urban Form and Older Residents’ Service Use, Walking, Driving, Quality of Life, and Neighborhood Satisfaction. American Journal of Health Promotion 19(1), 45-53.