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Neighborhoods

Commentary

Location, Location, Location: Does the Food Desert Narrative Hold Up?

There's little rigorous evidence to support the notion that 'food deserts' are driving the U.S. obesity epidemic but this narrative has nearly become conventional wisdom. In response, stakeholders have poured hundreds of millions into bringing supermarkets to these neighborhoods.

Oct 28, 2014
Infographic

Building Blocks for a Resilient City

This infographic illustrates how communities can withstand and recover from disasters by building resiliency.

Aug 18, 2014
Report

Geographic Targeting in Urban Areas: A Social-Welfare Program for Older People in Mexico

This report compares results of a social-gap index and those of other tools used to target social-welfare programs in Mexico. It also assesses the feasibility of targeting delivery of noncontributory pensions for older people who live in urban areas.

Jul 1, 2014
Journal Article

Involving Community Stakeholders to Increase Park Use and Physical Activity

The aim of this study is to describe implementation of a randomized controlled trial of community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to increase park use and physical activity across 33 diverse neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

Jul 1, 2014
Journal Article

Proximity to Urban Parks and Mental Health

Policy evaluations should incorporate mental health measures when assessing neighborhood improvement programs and physical environments.

Mar 1, 2014
Report

The Association Between Base-Area Social and Economic Characteristics and Airmen's Outcomes

This report shows whether and how base-area characteristics are associated with individual-level Airman outcomes across several different domains, including health and well-being, social cohesion, and ratings of neighborhood resources.

Feb 3, 2014
Journal Article

What’s Inside the Neighborhood Store May Matter More Than Its Location

Placing supermarkets in food deserts to improve access may not be as important as offering better prices for healthy foods, actively marketing healthy foods, and helping consumers resist junk food appeals.

Jan 1, 2014
Journal Article

How Much Neighborhood Parks Contribute to Local Residents' Physical Activity in the City of Los Angeles: A Meta-Analysis

Neighborhood parks contribute substantially to population moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Jan 1, 2014
Journal Article

Partnerships for Parks and Physical Activity

Given the need for comprehensive and multidisciplinary active living interventions, this article describes an innovative partnership for park design and evaluation.

Jan 1, 2014
Journal Article

Physical Activity Surveillance in Parks Using Direct Observation

The purpose of this investigation was to establish the use of SOPARC as a surveillance instrument and to situate the findings from the study in the context of the previous literature.

Jan 1, 2014
Journal Article

The Potential for Pocket Parks to Increase Physical Activity

Pocket parks, when perceived as attractive and safe destinations, may increase physical activity by encouraging families with children to walk there.

Jan 1, 2014
Journal Article

The Impact of Public Housing on Social Networks: A Natural Experiment

Different types of public housing have a modest impact on the health composition of one's social network, suggesting the importance of housing policy for health.

Jan 1, 2014
Journal Article

Modest Improvements in Marketing and Signage at Parks Can Increase Visitors’ Activity and Exercise

Physical activity in public parks may help improve community health, but promoting it is difficult for local parks with limited budgets. Modest increases in signage, promotional items, and outreach in parks across Los Angeles boosted physical activity by 7 to 12 percent compared to parks that did not make changes.

Nov 1, 2013
News Release

Modest Improvements in Marketing and Signage at Parks Can Increase Visitors' Activity and Exercise

Modest increases in marketing and outreach to local communities can increase the amount of physical activity that occurs in parks, providing a cost-effective way to potentially improve a community's health.

Oct 17, 2013
Journal Article

Assessing the Contribution of Parks to Physical Activity Using Global Positioning System and Accelerometry

This study describes patterns of park use and physical activity among a diverse adult sample.

Oct 1, 2013
Journal Article

How Do Neighborhood Parks Contribute to Physical Activity?

Neighborhood parks can support vigorous physical activity, but they are underutilized. Efforts to promote vigorous activity in local parks could help both child development and adult physical fitness. 

Aug 1, 2013
Journal Article

Getting Actionable About Community Resilience

The findings of a baseline survey on community resilience in Los Angeles highlighted opportunities for engaging communities in disaster preparedness and informed the development of a community action plan and toolkit.

Jun 7, 2013
Journal Article

Parent Perceptions of Neighborhood Safety and Children's Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Obesity: Evidence from a National Longitudinal Study

We examined the relationship between parent-perceived neighborhood safety and children's physical activity, sedentary behavior, body mass, and obesity status on a cohort of US kindergartners from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.

May 1, 2013
Journal Article

Are Our Actions Aligned with Our Evidence? The Skinny on Changing the Landscape of Obesity

Recent debate about the role of food deserts in the United States has prompted discussion on policies being enacted, including efforts that encourage the placement of full-service supermarkets into food deserts.

Mar 1, 2013
Journal Article

Neighborhood Food Outlets, Diet, and Obesity Among California Adults, 2007 and 2009

The presence of food outlets near home is not associated with dietary intake or BMI. In general, shopping patterns are weakly related, if at all, to neighborhoods, perhaps because of easy access to cars.

Mar 1, 2013

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RAND Topic:
Neighborhoods

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