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Complete Health Indicator Report of Community Design: Access to Parks and Elementary Schools

Definition

Proximity of residential neighborhoods to parks and public elementary schools

Numerator

Number of people living within a half mile of a park [[br]][[br]] Number of children ages 5-9 years living within a half mile of a park

Denominator

Total number of people in each geographic unit (i.e., county)[[br]][[br]] Children ages 5-9 years

Data Interpretation Issues

The estimates for the population residing within a half-mile of a park are derived estimates. The area-proportion estimates for race and ethnic subgroups are limited to 2010 data. Hispanic, White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other Non-Hispanic, and Multirace Non-Hispanic were summed to determine the total proportion for each block. Each of these estimates were rounded at each of the geographic aggregation units then summed for the total half-mile population estimate. We employed this approach to maintain internal consistency within the county, state, and national estimates. It is possible a statistically insignificant difference in the estimate could occur due to rounding. Parks: Using percent of population living within a half mile of a park as a proxy for proximity may underestimate the number of people who have access to parks in populations that are willing to travel farther to reach a park. Similarly, people may use parks located close to their schools or places of work rather than parks close to their homes. Conversely, this may overestimate access since walk routes to park entrances may be unsafe or much farther than a direct line from a residence to a park boundary. Schools: Living in close proximity to a school does not guarantee active commuting; there are additional factors, including personal preference, safety, and convenience, that families may consider when deciding how to travel to a school. Radial proximity may also be different from the actual distance that families travel along street networks to reach a school. Low street segment connectivity, poor intersection density, traffic congestion, and road condition may make the actual distance traveled longer than that assumed through radial measures, which may influence children's type of transportation to school. Additionally, data entry errors and omissions may be inherent in the data.

Why Is This Important?

In a well-designed community, homes, parks, stores, and schools are connected by safe walking and biking routes. Such routes allow all members of the community a chance to enjoy the outdoors and improve physical and mental health. The closer you live to a park or school, the more likely you are to walk or bike to those places. However, only a small number of people in the United States live within half a mile of a park or public school.

More Resources and Links

Evidence-based community health improvement ideas and interventions may be found at the following sites:
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER Database, a system for disseminating public health data and information.
  • United States Census Bureau data dashboard.
  • Utah healthy Places Index, evidence-based and peer-reviewed tool, supports efforts to prioritize equitable community investments, develop critical programs and policies across the state, and much more.
  • County Health Rankings
  • Kaiser Family Foundation's StateHealthFacts.org
  • Medical literature can be queried at PubMed library.



Page Content Updated On 07/10/2018, Published on 03/01/2024
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.state.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 28 March 2024 8:36:58 from Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.state.gov ".

Content updated: Fri, 1 Mar 2024 10:46:23 MST