Observing Park Environments
in Nevada
Monica A.F. Lounsbery, Ph.D.
Professor and Director
Physical Activity Policy Research Program
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• This project was made possible through – The vision and recommendation of the PA Policy Research
Program’s Community Advisory Board
– The leadership and commitment of Melissa Clary and Susie
Quintana from the City of Las Vegas and especially, Justin
Williams and Bruce Sillitoe from the Clark County
Comprehensive Planning Department
– Funding from UNLV College of Education and The Lincy Institute
The relationship of physical activity to a variety of
health conditions has been well-documented

– Several cohort studies showed a 30-40% increase in risk for
Diabetes due to physical inactivity
– Approximately 30 studies showed an inverse association
between physical activity and colon cancer
– Inactivity is related to 200-300K preventable deaths each year in
the United States
– In 2004, the World Health Organization found that physical
inactivity was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths
Deaths Attributed to 19 Leading Factors,
by Country Income Level, 2004
Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for morbidity and
mortality…
Troiano R, Berrigan D, Dodd K, et al. “Physical Activity in the United States Measured by Accelerometer.”
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(1): 181–188, January 2008.
This data was measured by
accelerometers.
Guided by theories that emphasize psychological & social
influences
 Primary goals have been education and behavior change
skills

J. Sallis
Active Living Research
Policy Context
Physical Environment
Social/Cultural
Individual
Biological
Psychological
Behavioral Skills
 Communities and Transportation Facilities
 School and Occupation Settings
 Recreation Facilities
8
Parks and Access to Them Matter!
Gordon-Larsen P, Nelson M, Page P, et al. “Inequality in the Built Environment Underlies Key Health
Disparities in Physical Activity and Obesity.” Pediatrics,117(2): 417– 424, February 2006.
Las Vegas ranked 43rd among the largest 50 metropolitan cities***
4.2% of city land is designated to parks
compared to 10.6% nationally

5.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 citizens
compared to 18.9/1,000 nationally

Other major park, physical activity, and
health disparities in Las Vegas compared
to other US cities include:

 Lower percent bicycling or walking to work
 Lower requirement for physical education
 Per capita Las Vegas has




Fewer ball diamonds
Fewer park playgrounds
Fewer park units
Fewer tennis courts
*** in preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access, and community
resources and policies that support physical activity.
Research has Shown that Accessibility
Disparities
Medium to high income neighborhoods have
significantly greater relative odds of having 1 or more
park facilities compared to low income and highminority neighborhoods

Inequality in availability of PA facilities may contribute
to ethnic and SES disparities in PA and overweight
patterns

PARKS
 Important locations for population physical activity
 especially for low-income families, children, and seniors
 they are free and OPEN to everyone
Seldom viewed as health resources or assessed on
the physical activity they provide

Physical activity studies have not been conducted in Nevada
parks or trails

 health impacts have not been translated into local government
services
In lower income Las Vegas neighborhoods, how are
parks/trails being used?


How are parks perceived by the residents?
How can we optimize the public’s investment in parks and
trails for health related purposes?

13

City of Las Vegas
 Bunker
 Leavitt
 Lone Mountain Trail

Clark County






Desert Breeze
Doc Pearson
Paradise
West Flamingo
Wetlands Trail
I-215 Beltway South and West Trails
Park
Bunker
Desert Breeze
Doc Pearson
Leavitt
Paradise
West Flamingo
Park
Bunker
Desert Breeze
Doc Pearson
Leavitt
Paradise
West Flamingo
Acres
Total population
In Zip Code
21
119
8
18.4
21
15
52,317
55,456
45,095
33,533
23,334
47,080
Median Household
Income
% Unemployed
%
Minority
$76,700
$61,619
$65,933
$40,100
$59,771
$42,839
6.3%
5.5%
6.7%
8.3%
6.3%
7.3%
41.1%
41.0%
61.8%
68.5%
41.1%
58.4%
Trails
215 - South
215 - West
Lone Mountain
Wetlands
Trails
Total population
% Female
60,009
50,132
37,776
48,678
50.1%
50.6%
50.7%
49.9%
% Over 65
years of age
10.6%
10.8%
10.5%
16.0%
Median Household
Income
Renter Occupied
Percent Minority
215 - South
$69,199
31.8%
44.2%
215 - West
$67,809
37.6%
53.3%
Lone Mountain
$62,270
42.9%
41.7%
Wetlands
$49,697
40.6%
52.8%
Direct Observation - SOPARC (System For
Observing Physical Activity and Recreation in
Communities; McKenzie et al., 2006)

Intercept interviews with randomly selected park
users

Questionnaires and focus groups with residents
living within .5 miles of parks

•
•
Data were collected on 12 clement days in each
environment over one year
Each day, data were collected during 4 time periods
(7:30am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, and 6:00pm)
•
480 area visits
•
IOA data were collected on 10% of the observations
• Percent agreement ranged from 92%-100%
18
Invitations to complete an on-line questionnaire
were sent to randomly selected residences within .5
mi of study parks

Interviews were conducted with park users in all 6
parks

These efforts yielded 215 completed surveys/
interviews

Park users and residents were invited to participate in focus group
meetings
 We conducted 10 focus group meetings (5 to 8 participants)
 Trails
 Parents
 Hispanics
 Senior Adults
 Women
 We audio and video recorded focus group meetings
 Data were transcribed and were coded

28%
19%
16%
13%
10%
8%
4%
2%
36%
24%
11%
8%
5%
8%
4%
4%
30%
22%
19%
12%
12%
5%
38%
27%
22%
8%
3%
2%
50
43%
42%
40
% of Park Users
35%
33%
Morning
31%
30
28%
26%
24%
27%
25%
23%
Lunch
21%
20
Evening
15%
13%
10
8%
6%
0
Children
Teens
Adults
Afternoon
Seniors
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2%
1%
4%
21%
Adult
15%
10%
Teen
10%
7%
6%
5%
Oct - Feb
8%
March - May
Senior
11%
June - Sept
Child
Trail
Trail Users
(N=817)
7:30am
12:30pm
3:30pm
6:00pm
215 - South
126
51
18
26
31
215 - West
Lone
Mountain
84
230
28
43
11
46
31
90
14
51
Wetlands
Total
377
817
95
217
116
191
103
250
63
159
Trail
Trail Users
(N=817)
Winter
Spring
Summer
215- South
126
27
41
58
215 – West
84
33
24
27
Lone Mountain
230
97
71
62
Wetlands
377
230
0
147
Total
817
387
136
294
87%
62%
88%
65%
58%
42%
38%
55%
53%
47%
45%
55%
51%
50%
49%
45%
35%
13%
12%
98%
97%
3%
4%
Safety from the sun and hot temperatures was perceived as
a barrier

Most people felt parks were well maintained and clean but
some felt there were disparities in low income neighborhoods

Most people felt safe although increased roving security was
frequently recommended

Women and parents had safety concerns about park use in
the evening.

% of Park Users & Non-Users
70%
62%
60%
50%
40%
31%
30%
20%
7%
10%
0%
Very Safe
Safe
Not Very Safe
47%
20%
19%
6%
4%
3%
1%
% of Park Users & Non-Users
60%
50%
50%
40%
34%
30%
19%
20%
21%
19%
16%
13%
10%
10%
0%
6%
1%
1%
5%
5%
5%
1%
2%
1%
1%
12%

Most people learned about parks by driving around

Some learned about parks by word of mouth

Some parents learned about park programs through
schools

Top recommended sources of communication
 Apartment complex managers
 Post cards or mailers
 Schools

Survey results showed that household income was found to
be a significant characteristic distinguishing park users and
non-users with park users more likely than non-users to have
lower income
(p =.024)
 Critical venue for addressing health disparities

More males and adults use parks and trails

Most people were observed sedentary parks; high moderate
to vigorous PA on trails
 Males were more active than females

Parks are rarely organized or supervised
 Opportunities for park programming
In parks, females and seniors were relatively
underserved

 Women emphasized time challenges as primary barriers
 Seniors felt unsafe being in the park with other age groups;
Hispanics felt most comfortable around other Hispanics
It appears that strategies for increasing PA in parks
for busy adults, especially women, should focus on
creating time efficiencies

 For those coming to parks to supervise (children or dogs) or to
be spectators, some time inefficiencies could be addressed by
the redesign of park facilities to include walking paths around
the perimeters of park spaces

Strategic programming
 offered programs for kids and parents in adjacent park spaces
during the same frame
 Increasing number of programs that appeal to females, seniors
and Hispanics

Trail use highly active but very low use observed
 During focus group meetings, participants identified that use
barriers were
 trail connectivity
 knowledge
 We speculate that observed low use was also due to the
newness of the all of the trails in this study, and their general
lack of promotion to the general public.
 Focus group participants identiycling enthusiasts are likely to be
the most informed about trails in Las Vegas and in order for
trails to engender mainstream use across age levels, more
community events such as farmers’ markets, health fairs, or
artisan booths should be planned on trails.


Park and Trail Promotion is needed
Most people “found” parks/trails as opposed to being
informed about them
 Promotional efforts should bear in mind the need to appeal to sense of
community activities people were interested in (e.g., walking)
 Promotional Partners
 Apartment complex managers
 Schools
 Mailers
-City and county policy makers and local stakeholders in planning,
government, and health will be provided with an overview of the results
from OPEN
-OPEN results will be used to determine next steps which may include:
-New strategic partnerships
- Experimental research to examine the health impact of
-Park redesign
-Strategic programming
-And/or promotion on increasing park/trails use and physical
activity
-Development of an active living task force
Robust conversations around how we can retrofit Las Vegas communities and
specific environemnts with physical activity and health in mind!
I Believe in Happy Healthy Families
Payne Lounsbery, Age 8
Tori Lounsbery, Age 20
And Their Right to Be Physically Active!
We need sustainable and creative policy responses
to make this possible!
Thank You for Listening and being OPEN to Possibilities!