Increasing Park Engagement for Diabetes Prevention and Management - Student Capstone Project
Author: Andrew Stine-Rowe, MD/MPH Class of 2020
Capstone Project Final Report (EPH 681)
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in partnership with Healthier Jupiter
Abstract
Diabetes is a chronic condition growing in prevalence throughout the United States and Palm Beach County, where an age-adjusted 8.4% of the population are diabetic, the majority of which are type 2 diabetics. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity lowers the risk type 2 diabetes, as well as lowers the rate of complications and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Public parks are a common space in the community that serve as a setting for physical activity for local residents. Increasing public park engagement could be a successful strategy for addressing diabetes at the community level. This project measured the use of public parks in Jupiter, Florida, in order to provide descriptive statistics about the use of parks and the demographics of the neighborhoods in which they are located. The parks were measured using the SOPARC system, a validated tool for systematically measuring the number of people in a park, their demographic information, and their activity level. Findings of the study showed low park engagement in two parks located in neighborhoods with higher levels of poverty and minority populations compared to the rest of Jupiter, and lower engagement of seniors with parks compared to other age groups. Evidence from other studies suggest that park use may be increased by offering organized activities in parks, as well as marketing parks. Data from this study can serve as a baseline to measure park engagement after improvements or publicity campaigns.
Download the full report here.