Keshia M. Pollack Porter (
Tyler Prochnow is a doctoral student and research assistant in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, Baylor University, in Waco, Texas.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2019 Sep;38(9):1475-1483. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00454.
Most US cities lack built environments that support physical activity, which is a key determinant of health. Making permanent changes to the physical environment to promote physical activity is not always feasible. Play Streets is a place-based intervention that is typically organized by local governments or community organizations and involves temporarily closing streets to create safe places and free opportunities for physical activity. In this descriptive study we examined 162 of Chicago's PlayStreets, held in the summer of 2018, to assess the volume and type of physical activity among youth participants and the variety of services provided to residents. We analyzed implementation data and forms completed after PlayStreets, and we conducted systematic observations at a purposeful sample of PlayStreets. We found that PlayStreets provides opportunities for youth physical activity in areas where opportunities do not otherwise always exist. PlayStreets also provides an avenue for residents to access community resources. This research on Chicago's experience with PlayStreets showed how one city is temporarily turning streets into places for youth physical activity to advance health equity. Local policies that facilitate temporarily closing streets and that provide resources to support opportunities for physical activity and access to community resources can advance health equity in cities nationwide.
大多数美国城市缺乏支持身体活动的建筑环境，而身体活动是健康的关键决定因素。要永久性地改变物理环境以促进身体活动，并不总是可行的。Play Streets 是一种基于场所的干预措施，通常由地方政府或社区组织组织，涉及暂时关闭街道，以创建安全的地方和免费的身体活动机会。在这项描述性研究中，我们调查了 2018 年夏天在芝加哥举行的 162 个 PlayStreets，以评估青年参与者的身体活动量和类型，以及为居民提供的各种服务。我们分析了实施数据和 PlayStreets 之后填写的表格，并在有目的的 PlayStreets 样本中进行了系统观察。我们发现，PlayStreets 为那些原本没有机会进行身体活动的青年提供了身体活动的机会。PlayStreets 还为居民提供了获取社区资源的途径。这项关于芝加哥开展 PlayStreets 经验的研究表明，一个城市如何暂时将街道变成青年身体活动的场所，以促进健康公平。促进暂时关闭街道以及提供资源以支持身体活动机会和获取社区资源的地方政策，可以在全国范围内促进城市的健康公平。
