Associations of Park Use with Physical Activity in Renovated Parks Serving Low-Income Communities in New York City: Insights from the Community Parks Initiative

Parks have the potential to encourage physical activity among urban communities. However, existing research on the link between park use and physical activity has produced inconsistent results. Mixed findings in the past may be due in part to differences in park quality across studies. The aim of this study was to explore the association between park use and physical activity among New York City adults in low-income communities that recently received city-sponsored park renovation as part of the Community Parks Initiative (CPI). Using population-weighted survey data from eight neighborhoods with recent park renovation (n = 2,000), we measured associations between park use frequency (≥ once/week vs. < once/week) and self-reported physical activity (high vs. low-moderate based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire). We adjusted models for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, income, study site, and use of other (non-CPI) parks, and conducted stratified analysis for demographic variables with significant interactions with park use. After adjusting for covariates, we observed a positive association between park use and physical activity (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.16-1.46). Greater frequency of park use was more strongly associated with high physical activity among adults ≤ 50 y (PR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.14-1.69), individuals with annual household income < $25,000 (PR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.13-2.08), and Latinos (PR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.44-2.18). Our findings suggest that high-quality parks might be particularly beneficial for promoting physical activity among those with a lower socioeconomic background and in younger and Latino adults, emphasizing the importance of continued investment in park revitalization among urban communities of color.