December 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 31

While often listed and described differently,
examples of social determinants and underlying
factors (as listed in the Healthy People 2020
framework (https://tinyurl.com/y74hajdr) include:

someone may be healthy and another person may not be. They can be
divided up into social and physical
determinants, as well as policies.
These factors unfairly affect people
living in low-income communities
and people of color, reducing their
quality of life and life expectancy by
as much as 30 years. New research
from the National Institute of Health
Care Management Foundation
(https://tinyurl.com/y37sbcwo)
finds that determinants influence 50
percent of health outcomes; more
than health behaviors (diet, physical
activity, substance use, etc.), biology
(genetics, inherited conditions, etc.)
and clinical care. The research finds
that people struggling with food insecurity are 2.4 times more likely to
go the emergency room, people living in communities that have safety
concerns are 3.2 times more likely to
go to the emergency room and people without reliable transportation
are 2.6 times more likely to go to the
emergency room. Addressing these
factors is critical to improving community health and ensuring that all
people have a fair opportunity to live
a healthy and long life.
So, what role does parks and recreation play, and how can the field
provide solutions to many of these
challenges?

Neighborhood and Built
Environment
Perhaps most notably, parks and recreation has a significant role to play in
shaping our neighborhoods and the
built environment. Quality park and
recreational spaces that are accessible,
properly designed with community
input and well-programmed have
been shown to reduce area crime
and violence. Parks and green space
improve air, water and environmental conditions in communities. At

the same time, parks and recreation
promotes access to physical activity opportunities for people to move
more and provide access to healthy
foods through meal programs, farmers markets and community gardens.
Research demonstrates over and over
again that people who live near and
spend time in parks are more physically active, have improved mental
and social health, are more productive and have improved focus.

Social and Community Context
Parks and recreation has an exceptional ability to bring people together. In my nearly five years at NRPA,
I've been on dozens of site visits.
And while programs and facilities
differ, there is one thing that is consistent across the field. Nearly every
program participant I talk to tells me
that the biggest benefit of parks and
recreation is the socialization that
it provides. They are public spaces
and places, open and welcoming to
all. They provide an opportunity for
people from different walks of life to
connect through shared experiences.
They also provide an opportunity for
civic engagement and participation.
Parks and recreation is a driving force
of social cohesion in all communities.
While these are just a few examples of how parks and recreation
can address the social determinants of health, the opportunities
are endless. Local agencies across
the country are tackling so many
of these challenges - from establishing partnerships with healthcare providers, to referring patients
to chronic disease interventions,
providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
enrollment assistance at park and
recreation sites, installing green
stormwater infrastructure in parks
to mitigate flooding and improve

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Economic stability
Employment
Food Insecurity
Housing Instability
Poverty
Education
Early Childhood Education and Development
Enrollment in Higher Education
High School Graduation
Language and Literacy
Social and Community Context
Civic Participation
Discrimination
Incarceration
Social Cohesion
Health and Healthcare
Access to Healthcare
Access to Primary Care
Health Literacy
Neighborhood and Built Environment
Access to Foods that Support Healthy Eating
Patterns
* Crime and Violence
* Environmental Conditions
* Quality of Housing

water quality, and by establishing
policies that ensure these resources
are being invested in the communities that need them most.
As a public health professional,
I, obviously, agree that there is a
time and a place to talk the talk, but
it's also important to bring more
people into this work to continue
making progress. So, to relate to
others outside of the public health
sector, I challenge you to take time
to connect with your colleagues,
policymakers and the people you
serve in your communities. Have a
conversation about the work your
agency is currently doing to improve neighborhoods. And, try to
keep the public health language to
a minimum. You never know who
might hear something they connect
with and join the fight.
Allison Colman is NRPA's Director of
Health (acolman@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

December 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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