Assessing physical activity in public parks in Brazil using systematic observation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Public parks are vital for community well-being and physical activity.
• Assessing the impact of structured programs on park utilization is crucial for public health initiatives.
• The Academia da Cidade Program (ACP) offers free, supervised physical activity classes in public spaces in Recife, Brazil.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate park usage patterns in Recife, Brazil.
• To compare physical activity levels and user demographics in parks with and without the Academia da Cidade Program (ACP).

Main Methods:

• The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) was employed.
• Observations were conducted across 10 park sites (5 with ACP, 5 without) in Recife.
• Data collected included user counts, physical activity intensity, and estimated age over a 4-week period.

Main Results:

• A total of 32,974 individuals were observed across 5,589 observation visits.
• Parks with ACP showed higher engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (64% vs. 49%) and vigorous activity (25% vs. 10%).
• ACP sites attracted a higher proportion of females (45% vs. 42%) and older adults (14.7% vs. 5.7%) compared to non-ACP sites.

Conclusions:

• The Academia da Cidade Program (ACP) is an effective strategy for increasing park utilization.
• ACP successfully promotes higher levels of physical activity among park users.
• The program demonstrates a positive impact on engaging diverse population groups, including females and older adults, in public spaces.