Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments
Rural residents are more likely to be physically inactive than their urban counterparts and are therefore at higher risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that these disparities are driven in part by the physical environment, policies, and programming in rural communities. T...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335521002576 |
| _version_ | 1818342552886050816 |
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| author | Matthew Dalstrom Benjamin Guth Chelsey Lizer Kristine Zimmermann Manorama Khare |
| author_facet | Matthew Dalstrom Benjamin Guth Chelsey Lizer Kristine Zimmermann Manorama Khare |
| author_sort | Matthew Dalstrom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rural residents are more likely to be physically inactive than their urban counterparts and are therefore at higher risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that these disparities are driven in part by the physical environment, policies, and programming in rural communities. The purpose of this study was to use the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) to assess the physical activity environment of four Midwestern towns and to develop physical activity maps to support Enhanced Win With Wellness, a community-based cardiovascular risk reduction program. The RALA Town Wide (TWA) and Program and Policy (PPA) assessments were conducted in all four towns and are scored from (0–100). The TWA scores ranged from 69 to 96 (mean = 82.25) and the PPA scores ranged from 47 to 70 (mean = 59.75), indicating the towns had more amenities that supported physical activity than policies and programming. Using data gathered from the RALA assessments, digital physical activity maps were created for each town using the Google Maps platform and accessible through QR codes. The maps were advertised through Facebook and flyers to program participants and were viewed 3,073 times during the study period. Our study illustrates how the results from the TWA and PPA can be transformed into an easily accessible map that can used to reach populations residing in rural communities to increase awareness of physical activity amenities and improve engagement. It is also useful in helping identify gaps in recreational opportunities and to assist in developing policies or programs supporting physical activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:16:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f7ff9daecaf426cb56b4210acb02933 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-3355 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:16:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f7ff9daecaf426cb56b4210acb029332022-12-21T23:38:49ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552021-12-0124101567Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environmentsMatthew Dalstrom0Benjamin Guth1Chelsey Lizer2Kristine Zimmermann3Manorama Khare4Saint Anthony College of Nursing, 3301 N Mulford Rd, Health Sciences Center, Rockford, IL 61114, United States; Corresponding author.Saint Anthony College of Nursing, 3301 N Mulford Rd, Health Sciences Center, Rockford, IL 61114, United StatesSaint Anthony College of Nursing, 3301 N Mulford Rd, Health Sciences Center, Rockford, IL 61114, United StatesUniversity of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, Division of Health Research and Evaluation; Department of Family and Community Medicine, 1601 Parkview Ave, Rockford, IL 61107, Unites States; University of Illinois Chicago, School of Public Health, 1603 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60612, United StatesUniversity of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, Division of Health Research and Evaluation; Department of Family and Community Medicine, 1601 Parkview Ave, Rockford, IL 61107, Unites StatesRural residents are more likely to be physically inactive than their urban counterparts and are therefore at higher risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that these disparities are driven in part by the physical environment, policies, and programming in rural communities. The purpose of this study was to use the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) to assess the physical activity environment of four Midwestern towns and to develop physical activity maps to support Enhanced Win With Wellness, a community-based cardiovascular risk reduction program. The RALA Town Wide (TWA) and Program and Policy (PPA) assessments were conducted in all four towns and are scored from (0–100). The TWA scores ranged from 69 to 96 (mean = 82.25) and the PPA scores ranged from 47 to 70 (mean = 59.75), indicating the towns had more amenities that supported physical activity than policies and programming. Using data gathered from the RALA assessments, digital physical activity maps were created for each town using the Google Maps platform and accessible through QR codes. The maps were advertised through Facebook and flyers to program participants and were viewed 3,073 times during the study period. Our study illustrates how the results from the TWA and PPA can be transformed into an easily accessible map that can used to reach populations residing in rural communities to increase awareness of physical activity amenities and improve engagement. It is also useful in helping identify gaps in recreational opportunities and to assist in developing policies or programs supporting physical activity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335521002576Rural active living assessment (RALA)Physical activityRuralActivity maps |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Dalstrom Benjamin Guth Chelsey Lizer Kristine Zimmermann Manorama Khare Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments Preventive Medicine Reports Rural active living assessment (RALA) Physical activity Rural Activity maps |
| title | Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments |
| title_full | Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments |
| title_fullStr | Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments |
| title_short | Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments |
| title_sort | supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments |
| topic | Rural active living assessment (RALA) Physical activity Rural Activity maps |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335521002576 |
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