State and Local Funding for Parks and Recreation Is Associated With Healthy Environments and Behaviors Across the...

This study examined how state and local parks and recreation funding relates to county-level access to exercise opportunities, physical inactivity, and obesity, and how these associations differed in metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan areas. A cross-sectional analysis of all US counties (n = 3142) linked 2021 Census expenditure data with 2021 County Health Rankings measures. Generalized estimating equations assessed associations between expenditures and each outcome. Results showed that parks and recreation spending accounted for an average of 1.1% of state-local budgets (range: 0.4%-2.5%). Each 1% increase in expenditures was associated with significantly greater access to exercise opportunities and lower rates of physical inactivity and obesity. Such associations were strongest in metropolitan counties. In conclusion, increased investment in parks and recreation may improve community access to active environments and reduce physical inactivity and obesity. Future research should explore parks and recreation funding allocations in more detail and across a broader range of health outcomes.