Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments

Rural residents are more likely to be physically inactive than their urban counterparts and are therefore at higher risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that these disparities are driven in part by the physical environment, policies, and programming in rural communities. The purpose of this study was to use the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) to assess the physical activity environment of four Midwestern towns and to develop physical activity maps to support Enhanced Win With Wellness, a community-based cardiovascular risk reduction program. The RALA Town Wide (TWA) and Program and Policy (PPA) assessments were conducted in all four towns and are scored from (0-100). The TWA scores ranged from 69 to 96 (mean = 82.25) and the PPA scores ranged from 47 to 70 (mean = 59.75), indicating the towns had more amenities that supported physical activity than policies and programming. Using data gathered from the RALA assessments, digital physical activity maps were created for each town using the Google Maps platform and accessible through QR codes. The maps were advertised through Facebook and flyers to program participants and were viewed 3,073 times during the study period. Our study illustrates how the results from the TWA and PPA can be transformed into an easily accessible map that can used to reach populations residing in rural communities to increase awareness of physical activity amenities and improve engagement. It is also useful in helping identify gaps in recreational opportunities and to assist in developing policies or programs supporting physical activity.