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2004 Health GIS Conference Proceedings Abstract
Children’s Fitness and Access to Physical Activity Facilities Author(s): Marlo Cavnar, Medical College of Georgia; Zenong Yin, Medical College of Georgia; Paule Barbeau, Medical College of Georgia Introduction: The Medical College of Georgia FitKid project is investigating the effects of an after-school physical activities (PA) program on childhood obesity in a three-year study. Purpose: To examine whether access (proximity) to PA facilities was related to children’s level of fitness and self-reported PA in an east Georgia county. Methods: Home addresses from 594 children and PA facilities in the county were geocoded. Access to PA was defined as the number of facilities within walking distance (0.5 mi). Fitness and self-reported PA were collected during baseline testing. Results: 96% of the students and all 86 PA facilities were geocoded. The average number of facilities within 0.5 mi was 0.6. No significant relationship was found between access to PA and fitness level or self-reported PA. Conclusion: Access to PA may be influenced by factors other than proximity to facilities. Further study needs to explore other environmental factors that influence children’s PA (funded by NIH-DK63391). |
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