Perceptions of neighborhood park quality: associations with physical activity and body mass index.

BACKGROUND: Parks are important resources for physical activity (PA), yet few studies have examined how perceptions of park characteristics relate to PA and health.

PURPOSE: This study investigated associations between perceptions of neighborhood park quality and overall moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), park-based PA, and body mass index (BMI).

METHODS: Data were collected via questionnaire from 893 households in Kansas City, Missouri.

RESULTS: The newly developed neighborhood park quality scale demonstrated good test-retest and internal reliability. Residents' perceptions of neighborhood park quality were related to PA and health outcomes. Perceiving parks as a benefit was positively related to overall MVPA and park-based PA and negatively related to BMI. Perceptions of well-used parks were positively related to BMI, while perceived cleanliness was negatively related to park-based PA.

CONCLUSIONS: Better measuring and understanding how perceptions of local parks are associated with PA and health can improve appreciation of how parks facilitate active living.