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Neighborhoods

Journal Article

First National Survey of Neighborhood Parks Shows Low Use by Adults, Seniors and Females

Although it is critically important for adults and seniors to engage in physical activity, most neighborhood parks have few programmed activities targeted to those groups. Adding enhancements such as walking loops could attract more visitors.

May 30, 2016
News Release

First National Survey of Neighborhood Parks Shows Low Use by Adults, Seniors and Females

Although it is critically important for adults and seniors to engage in physical activity, most neighborhood parks have few programmed activities targeted to those groups. Adding enhancements such as walking loops could attract more visitors.

May 18, 2016
Journal Article

Neighborhood and Home Food Environment and Children's Diet and Obesity: Evidence from Military Personnel's Installation Assignment

Focusing only on the availability of particular food outlets in a neighborhood may ignore other important factors, including how families decide what food to buy and where to buy it, availability of healthy foods at home, and parenting practices.

Apr 29, 2016
Journal Article

Are Food Deserts Also Play Deserts?

Parks in two food desert neighborhoods in Pittsburgh could also be called play deserts: local residents didn't use them as much as residents in other areas of the city used their nearby parks.

Apr 19, 2016
Journal Article

Constructing a Time-Invariant Measure of the Socio-Economic Status of U.S. Census Tracts

Contextual research on time and place requires a consistent measurement instrument for neighborhood conditions in order to make unbiased inferences about neighborhood change.

Apr 14, 2016
Journal Article

Park Characteristics, Use, and Physical Activity: A Review of Studies Using SOPARC (System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities)

A literature review of studies using the SOPARC tool to observe public park use finds that, generally, men use parks more than women and younger users tend to be more active than older users.

Mar 29, 2016
Journal Article

Use of Dog Parks and the Contribution to Physical Activity for Their Owners

Although dog parks contribute to human physical activity, their contribution to participants' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was limited.

Mar 14, 2016
Report

A Community-Based, Focused-Deterrence Approach to Closing Overt Drug Markets: A Process and Fidelity Evaluation of Seven Sites

This process evaluation describes how well seven jurisdictions adhered to a Bureau of Justice Assistance strategy to reduce overt drug markets, along with the barriers they encountered and lessons learned from their experiences.

Feb 2, 2016
Journal Article

The Paradox of Parks in Low-Income Areas: Park Use and Perceived Threats

This study examines the perceived threats of park use in low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

Jan 21, 2016
Journal Article

Racial-ethnic Variation in Park Use and Physical Activity in the City of Los Angeles

This study examines to what extent parks are utilized by various race-ethnic groups in diverse urban settings in Los Angeles.

Nov 20, 2015
Journal Article

New Findings on Food Deserts

In a neighborhood where a full-service grocery store opened after decades of absence, residents reported eating fewer calories and less sugar, perceived better access to healthy foods, and were more satisfied with their neighborhood. Yet, the changes in dietary intake were not related to use of the new store.

Nov 10, 2015
Journal Article

Effects of Caretakers' Social Networks on Low-Income Children's Health

The exercise and eating habits of people in caretakers’ social networks influenced the health status of children in public housing.

Sep 25, 2015
Journal Article

Neighbourhood Racial/Ethnic Composition and Segregation and Trajectories of Cognitive Decline Among U.S. Older Adults

This study demonstrates disparities in the progression of cognitive ageing according to racial/ethnic characteristics of the neighbourhood environment.

Jun 3, 2015
Journal Article

Influence of the Built Environment on Pedestrian Route Choices of Adolescent Girls

We examined the influence of the built environment on pedestrian route selection among adolescent girls.

May 29, 2015
Journal Article

Using a Grocery List May Lead to Better Health Outcomes

A shopping list may be a no-cost, easily implemented tool to help high-risk, low-income individuals living in a food desert make healthier food choices.

May 12, 2015
Tool

Community Resilience: LEARN and TELL Toolkit

The LEARN and TELL Community Resilience Toolkit teaches people about community resilience so that they can teach others and—ultimately—help their communities remain strong in the face of economic downturns, violence, weather-related disasters, and other community stressors.

Apr 22, 2015
Journal Article

LA Fast-Food Ban Did Not Improve Diets or Cut Obesity

A Los Angeles ordinance designed to curb obesity in low-income areas by restricting the opening of new fast-food restaurants has failed to reduce fast-food consumption or obesity. Since the restrictions were passed in 2008, overweight and obesity rates in neighborhoods targeted by the law have increased faster than in other parts of the city or other parts of the county.

Mar 17, 2015
Journal Article

Promotoras as Data Collectors in a Large Study of Physical Activity in Parks

There is a large literature on promotores' involvement in health promotion and a smaller literature on their roles in data collection, most often among predominantly Latino populations.

Feb 10, 2015
Journal Article

Improved Access May Not Be the Key to Addressing Food Deserts

As part of the ongoing battle to fight obesity in the U.S., current policies are aimed at improving access to healthy foods, especially in neighborhoods designated as food deserts. However, research indicates proximity to full-service supermarkets was unrelated to weight or dietary quality.

Dec 9, 2014
Report

Measuring the Contribution of Public Parks to Physical Activity and Health

As important venues for physical activity, public parks contribute to the health and well-being of surrounding communities. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC), a reliable and easy-to-use tool, enables park administrators to quantify park use and park-based physical activity.

Dec 2, 2014

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RAND Topic:
Neighborhoods

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