A Walk in the Park Zarnaaz Bashir Director, Health Initiatives October 30, 2015 .

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A Walk in the Park

Zarnaaz BashirDirector, Health Initiatives

October 30, 2015

www.nrpa.org

NRPA’s Three PillarsCo

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Hea

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Call to Action Report

• Design communities that make it safe and easy to walk for people of all ages and abilities.

• Promote programs and policies to support walking where people live, learn, work, and play.

• Provide information to encourage walking and improve walkability.

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Safe Routes to ParksA national effort to facilitate safe access to parks for all people

Why is this important?

“People can make healthier choices if they

live in neighborhoods that are safe, free from

violence, and designed to promote health.”

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Commission to Build a Healthier America

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The Evidence

• Living close to parks and other recreation facilities is consistently related to higher physical activity levels for both adults and youth.

American Journal of Preventive Medicine; President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Research Digest

• Having more parks and more park area (acreage) within a community is associated with higher physical activity levels.

• Lower-income populations & some racial and ethnic populations have limited access to parks and recreational facilities. These disparities partially explain lower physical activity levels among these populations.

Active Living Research, Parks, Playgrounds & Active Living, February 2010

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Resources

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What’s Next for SRTP?

Working collaboratively with our partners to…• Activate communities• Create policy• Scale national models

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Thank You

www.nrpa.org/walkingZarnaaz Bashir, MPH

Director, Health [email protected]