Greater Access to Recreational Resources is Associated with More Leisure-time Physical Activity Engagement in Counties Across the United States

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dc.contributor.advisorBudd, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorPedroza, Jonathan
dc.date.accessioned2021-11-23T15:14:28Z
dc.date.available2021-11-23T15:14:28Z
dc.date.issued2021-11-23
dc.description.abstractLess than 10% of U.S. adults meet physical activity recommendations. Physical inactivity leads to poor physical and mental health conditions. Little is known about community factors on a county level associated with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), despite LTPA demonstrating greater health benefits than other physical activity domains and most local health departments operating on county levels. This study: 1) examines the association between access to recreational resources and LTPA, and 2) investigates violent crime rates as a moderator of this association across U.S. counties. Data on access to recreational resources (e.g., parks, gyms), LTPA, violent crime rates, median household income, and percent rurality, Black/African American population, and Latina/o population were analyzed from 2016 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps and American Community Survey. With U.S. counties (N = 3089) as the level of measurement, three spatial regression models stratified by region (Northeast, South, West, Midwest) were conducted. Access to recreational resources was positively associated with LTPA in the Northeast (b = 0.058, p = .001), South (b = 0.025, p < .001), and West (b = 0.046, p < .001). Violent crime rates moderated the association between access to recreational resources and LTPA in the Northeast only (b = 0.002, p = .032), showing a significant positive association (b = 0.108, p < .001) only among counties with higher violent crime rates. Exploratory findings indicated median household income moderated the association between access to recreational resources and LTPA in the West (b = 0.002, p = .003) and Midwest (b = 0.001, p = .040). County median household income may matter more as a moderator than violent crime rates in the positive association between access to recreational resources and LTPA, particularly in the West and Midwest. These findings can inform future LTPA promotion interventions by concentrating efforts on improving access to recreational resources and addressing inequities in access based on median household income.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/26892
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved.
dc.subjectaccess to recreational resourcesen_US
dc.subjectleisure-time physical activityen_US
dc.subjectspatial regressionen_US
dc.titleGreater Access to Recreational Resources is Associated with More Leisure-time Physical Activity Engagement in Counties Across the United States
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineDepartment of Counseling Psychology and Human Services
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Oregon
thesis.degree.leveldoctoral
thesis.degree.namePh.D.

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