What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess the impact of park and playground renovations on physical activity and park use in low-income, predominantly Black communities while evaluating novel and established evaluation methods.

September 17, 2026International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical ActivityOpen Access

Implementing emerging methods to improve evaluations of playground and park renovations: a comparative case study on park use in low-income, predominantly black communities

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Authors

KBKatie Burford JHJunga Han EPEmily Piotrowski

Discussion

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Overview

Quasi-experimental study reveals increased park use after playground renovations in predominantly Black neighborhoods, highlighting the value of combining observational and mobile data.

Key Points

To assess the impact of park and playground renovations on physical activity and park use in low-income, predominantly Black communities while evaluating novel and established evaluation methods.
Conducted a quasi-experimental comparative case study of playground renovations and matched comparison parks across two sites (Baltimore, MD, and Rocky Mount, NC).
Observed park use and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC).
Triangulated SOPARC observations with six months of time-matched pre- and post-intervention geolocation mobile device data to quantify weekly park and playground visits.
One case study demonstrated significant pre-to-post-intervention increases in park use rates and physical activity at the renovated park via SOPARC, alongside significant declines at the control park.
Geolocation mobile device data corroborated the observational findings, confirming significant post-renovation increases in playground visits.

Cite This Study

Burford et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aabb61e5f706d05830e48d8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-026-01977-y

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September 17, 2026International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical ActivityOpen Access

Implementing emerging methods to improve evaluations of playground and park renovations: a comparative case study on park use in low-income, predominantly black communities

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

KBKatie Burford JHJunga Han EPEmily Piotrowski

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Quasi-experimental study reveals increased park use after playground renovations in predominantly Black neighborhoods, highlighting the value of combining observational and mobile data.

Key Points

To assess the impact of park and playground renovations on physical activity and park use in low-income, predominantly Black communities while evaluating novel and established evaluation methods.
Conducted a quasi-experimental comparative case study of playground renovations and matched comparison parks across two sites (Baltimore, MD, and Rocky Mount, NC).
Observed park use and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC).
Triangulated SOPARC observations with six months of time-matched pre- and post-intervention geolocation mobile device data to quantify weekly park and playground visits.
One case study demonstrated significant pre-to-post-intervention increases in park use rates and physical activity at the renovated park via SOPARC, alongside significant declines at the control park.
Geolocation mobile device data corroborated the observational findings, confirming significant post-renovation increases in playground visits.

Cite This Study

Burford et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aabb61e5f706d05830e48d8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-026-01977-y

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