A number of studies in recent years have identified both self-report and objectively measured accessibility of recreational
facilities as important predictors of physical activity in youth. Yet, few studies have: (1) examined the relationship between
the number and proximity of objectively measured neighborhood physical activity facilities and respondents’ perceptions and
(2) compared objective and self-report measures as predictors of physical activity. This study uses data on 1,367 6th-grade
girls who participated in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) to explore these issues. Girls reported whether
nine different types of recreational facilities were easily accessible. These facilities included basketball courts, golf
courses, martial arts studios, playing fields, tracks, skating rinks, swimming pools, tennis courts, and dance/gymnastic clubs.
Next, geographic information systems (GIS) were used to identify all the parks, schools, and commercial sites for physical
activity located within a mile of each girl’s home. These sites were then visited to inventory the types of facilities available.
Girls wore accelerometers to measure their weekly minutes of non-school metabolic equivalent weighted moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity (MW-MVPA). The number of facilities within a half-mile of girls’ homes strongly predicted the perception
of easy access to seven out of nine facility types. Both individual facility perceptions and the total number of facilities
perceived were associated with increased physical activity. For each additional facility perceived, girls clocked 3% more
metabolic equivalent weighted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (
p < 0.001). Although girls tended to record 3% more of this kind of physical activity (
p < 0.05) per basketball court within a mile of their homes, objective facility measures were otherwise unrelated to physical
activity. The results from this study suggest that raising the profile of existing facilities may help increase physical activity
among adolescent girls.
Keywords Adolescent girls - Parks - Physical activity - Recreational facilities - Schools.
Scott is with the RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA 22202, USA; Cohen is with the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90401,
USA; Evenson and Cox are with the UNC Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.