Collaborating With Parks and Recreation Departments to Address Youth Health

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Adolescence presents critical health needs, including mental health, obesity, substance use, and food insecurity.
• Expanding community health needs challenge single-profession approaches.
• Park and recreation departments, historically focused on youth wellness, are forming partnerships with health agencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore park and recreation directors' experiences with health agency collaborations.
• To understand how these partnerships address youth health and wellness factors.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to effective collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological qualitative study design.
• In-depth interviews with park and recreation directors (n=9) across four New England states.
• Thematic analysis of interview data.

Main Results:

• Mental health, particularly behavioral health challenges, was the most common concern identified by directors.
• Collaboration levels varied from none to extensive, with a desire expressed for stronger partnerships.
• Park and recreation and public health sectors share resource and staffing challenges but possess complementary skills.

Conclusions:

• Purposeful, outcome-focused collaborations between public health and park and recreation departments can enhance youth health.
• Addressing shared challenges and leveraging complementary skills are key to successful partnerships.
• Strengthening inter-agency collaboration is vital for comprehensive adolescent health and wellness.