Park and recreation agencies partner for health: NRPA joins the front line to combat obesity

Parks & Recreation, June, 2005 by Lori Daniel

Take a look at Americans these days. Obesity has reached an all-time high in this country, with nearly one-third of adults lumped into this category. Another third are considered to be overweight. With TV, DVDs, video games, Web logs and chat rooms, car-dependent cities and the endless time crunch of life, the motivation to move our bodies continues to dwindle.

In our country today, we're ringing up a tab totaling $117 billion in direct and indirect costs resulting from the obese and the overweight. An estimated 365,000 deaths annually are associated with chronic conditions that could be prevented.

This epidemic does not discriminate by gender, age, race, ethnicity or education level, and the number affected steadily accelerates with each passing year. As a result, we are left with a population on a collision course with the health care system to be treated for consequences such as diabetes, heart disease stroke, hypertension, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, depression and more.

This is a battle we must fight, community by community. In 2004, the International City/County Management Association conducted a survey of city managers to ask what public agency would be most critical to addressing the obesity crisis. City/county managers ranked parks and recreation highest among all public agencies at 88 percent. In addition, 65 percent of those city/county managers who responded believe that it is "very important" for local government to encourage and provide opportunities for physical activity for its residents.

Because NRPA is comprised of park and recreation agencies that are on the front lines of fighting this health crisis, the association launched a grassroots effort this year to combat obesity through active, healthy lifestyles. NRPA hosted health summits in cities across the country to rally park and recreation professionals, health care specialists, community leaders and others in the endeavor.

The "Step Up to Health Summits" have resonated nationwide as a significant step by NRPA to partner with local park and recreation agencies, as well as allied organizations to assume a leadership role in promoting healthy lifestyles and livable communities. NRPA, in partnership with the National Football League (NFL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been on an 18-city tour to convene community and professional leaders to address obesity by engaging more individuals, families and communities in active recreation and regular use of America's public parks.

The community mobilization model presented at the Step Up to Health Summits has been developed through a three-year study conducted in 56 communities nationwide. Local park and recreation agencies have assisted NRPA in designing a framework to improve their practice and to advance the field.

Whether enhancing existing programs to include physical activity such as the Holiday trail walk in Glendale, Ariz.; implementing environmental policy changes in Largo, Fla., to change concession contracts to include more healthy snack food choices; or partnering with the University of Nevada Las Vegas to teach public health students about community park and recreation efforts to reinforce healthy habits; local park and recreation agencies have successfully tested and evaluated these new approaches to improving health.

NRPA National Partnerships Director Kathy Spangler reports that nearly 1,500 professionals, citizens, civic and community leaders have been attracted to the summits because parks and recreation is increasingly being viewed as a community health asset. Already, NRPA has exceeded its goal of activating 500 communities in the movement this year. The summits have attracted the attention of local media and government officials, which validates the important work parks and recreation hopes to accomplish on behalf of the nation's health.

Future summits are being planned for fall. Our public parks and recreation, with spaces, places and recreation activities, are critical to helping us address the obesity crisis and assuming the leadership role in promoting healthy lifestyles and livable communities. Be sure your agency is actively participating. The one-day summits offer an exclusive opportunity to become a 2005 NRPA Step Up to Health Community, and to gain access to premium materials such as the CDC's nationally developed, multimedia marketing resources.

While we can't physically move our neighbors off the couch and into our recreation centers, it's up to each individual community to advance healthy lifestyles locally and make active living a way of life for everyone. We must make programs accessible, affordable and inclusive to engage stakeholders to support these programs and reverse the crisis of obesity. NRPA summits and several other national partnerships are a call to action to assist local departments to do just that.

Action Alert

There are a number of national partnerships that provide grants, materials and/or research for local parks and agencies. Visit www.nrpa.org/health and become part of the NRPA network to receive timely information on current and new partnership programs as they are launched.