Perceptions of neighborhood park quality: associations with physical activity and body mass index.

BACKGROUND Parks are important resources for physical activity (PA), yet few studies have examined how perceptions of park characteristics relate to PA and health. PURPOSE This study investigated associations between perceptions of neighborhood park quality and overall moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), park-based PA, and body mass index (BMI). METHODS Data were collected via questionnaire from 893 households in Kansas City, Missouri. RESULTS The newly developed neighborhood park quality scale demonstrated good test-retest and internal reliability. Residents' perceptions of neighborhood park quality were related to PA and health outcomes. Perceiving parks as a benefit was positively related to overall MVPA and park-based PA and negatively related to BMI. Perceptions of well-used parks were positively related to BMI, while perceived cleanliness was negatively related to park-based PA. CONCLUSIONS Better measuring and understanding how perceptions of local parks are associated with PA and health can improve appreciation of how parks facilitate active living.