March 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 53

Member Spotlight: M. Jean Keller
By Vitisia Paynich

ith nearly 35 years in higher education, M. Jean
Keller has seen a lot of changes take place in
parks and recreation. Not just in the types of
health and wellness programs, but in the demographic makeup of communities around the country. Keller
earned her bachelor's degree in recreation, with a focus in therapeutic recreation, at Florida State University and went on to earn
a doctorate from the University of Georgia. Today, she is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and
Recreation at the University of North Texas.

Parks & Recreation magazine recently talked to Keller about the
myths, current trends and important factors to consider before
creating health and wellness programs.
Parks & Recreation: When it comes to health and wellness,
what are some of the misconceptions that exist?
M. Jean Keller: Sometimes, our constituents and community members think that parks and recreation is just about sports and games
rather than offering health and wellness programs developed from
evidence-based practices. I hope some of those notions are changing, as we have more services for highly diverse populations - from
young adults to middle-aged adults and seniors. When we look at
older adults, however, there are so many age variations along with
race, ethnicity, social class and abilities within that population. For
example, somebody who's 55 and in perfectly good health might be
retired and living in the community and wants health and wellness
services, while another who's the same age might be in poor health
and needs those same services.

P&R: Before creating health and
wellness programs, what should
park and rec professionals take
into consideration?
Keller: We need to do our due diligence on what are sound and more
evidence-based research programs related to health and wellness.
We need to engage community members and learn their needs and
interests and discover what programs have desired outcomes. I'm
a big believer in collaboration, so, if there are health and wellness
programs that already exist in the community, like with a hospital
or with nonprofits, look for opportunities in ways to partner rather than trying to compete. We're seeing some sound trends within some of the communities through collective impact. Why not
leverage these opportunities?
- Vitisia Paynich, Freelance Writer for
Parks & Recreation magazine

P&R: What key trends are you seeing in this area in 2017?
Keller: My hope is park and recreational professionals will continue
the trend to focus on the whole person related to health and wellness
in programs, services and facilities. For instance, people frequently
base their perceptions of health on a single measure such as weight.
Our educational efforts with programs may help people to understand that it's not just about weight. It's changing that perception so
that they realize it's more about the whole sense of wellbeing and
fitness, which includes physical, social, emotional and cognitive aspects. One key trend I hope to see more of in 2017 is serving all
people in our communities. In addition to age diversity in communities, we're seeing more racial, ethnic and gender diversity. Thus, it's
important to identify many different needs within the community
population so programs and services can be designed around them.
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