Assessing Physical Activity in Temporary Spaces: Application of SOPARC / iSOPARC® for Play Streets

Purpose: The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) is a valid, reliable method for understanding how people engage in physical activity (PA) in various permanent settings (e.g., parks) and contexts. However, its utility, reliability, and validity in temporary spaces has not been examined. Temporary spaces can provide PA opportunities often absent in low-income communities due to inadequate safe permanent PA spaces. Play Streets involve temporary closure of streets or other publicly accessibly spaces (e.g., parking lots, open-fields) to create safe play spaces for a specified time-period. We describe the utility, reliability, and validity of using SOPARC to assess PA in temporary spaces like Play Streets. Method: Trained SOPARC/iSOPARC (iPad App) research staff completed systematic observations during Play Streets occurring in four diverse low-income rural U.S. communities during summer 2017. Results: We successfully used iSOPARC to document PA and how spaces were used at Play Streets (n = 16), confirming its utility, reliability, and validity. Unlike observations of permanent spaces, target areas could not be pre-established since play spaces often changed during set-up, requiring time onsite to identify target areas and boundaries. Play areas frequently appeared and/or disappeared during Play Streets, and this was systematically addressed by using physical target area boundaries instead of activities. Conclusions: Understanding how temporary spaces are used for PA is critical for promoting their use. SOPARC/iSOPARC methods are useful in a Play Streets' context; however, systematic methods and training are needed to address inherent unpredictable and dynamic changes within and across target areas.

Using network analysis to conduct a system-wide program evaluation within a university

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a system-wide assessment using social network analysis (SNA) to examine how 14 important issues (e.g., consent; racism) are addressed through education, training, and programming at a university.

METHODS

Evaluators conducted interviews with campus departments responsible for educating/training on the 14 issues. Interviews revealed which programs (n = 52) were offered that addressed the 14 issues, and data on audience characteristics, date of delivery, and which issues were covered in each program were collected. SNA was used to calculate degree and create visualization graphs illustrating patterns of content-coverage across all 52 programs.

RESULTS

The average degree was 19.38 (SD = 9.70), meaning programs overlapped in topic area with nearly 20 other programs, on average. Most programs (n = 36; 69.2 %) were attended by audiences of 500 people or less. "Diversity and inclusion" represented the topic area with the most programs (n = 23), whereas "suicide" and "bullying/hazing" had the least number of programs (n = 3). Degree was negatively correlated with attendance numbers (r=-.310, p < .001), indicating the more a program overlapped in content with other programs, the smaller the audience.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports the use of network analysis in conducting systemic evaluations of programs offered at a university, complementing the work of ongoing, local-level program evaluations.

Come together, play, be active: Physical activity engagement of school-age children at Play Streets in four diverse rural communities in the U.S

Across the U.S., Play Streets - temporary street closures creating safe places for play for a few hours- are being implemented in urban areas during summer. Play Streets have never been implemented or evaluated in rural communities but have the potential to address challenges residents face accessing safe physical activity opportunities in these areas. Community organizations in four diverse low-income rural communities (selected to represent African American, American Indian, Latino, or White, non-Hispanic populations) received mini-grants in 2017 to implement four, three-hour Play Streets during the summer focusing on school-aged children in elementary-to-middle school. Physical activity was measured using Digi-walker (Yamax-SW200) pedometers and the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC/iSOPARC). Sixteen Play Streets were implemented in rural Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas communities during June-September 2017. A total of 370 children (mean age = 8.81 years [SD = 2.75]; 55.0% female) wore pedometers across all 16 Play Streets (μ = 23.13 [SD = 8.59] children/Play Street). School-aged children with complete data (n = 353) wore pedometers for an average of 92.97 min (SD = 60.12) and accrued a mean of 42.08 steps/min (SD = 17.27), with no significant differences between boys (μ = 43.82, SD = 15.76) and girls (μ = 40.66, SD = 18.34). iSOPARC observations revealed no significant differences in child activity by sex; however, male teens were more active than female teens. Most adults were sedentary during Play Streets according to pedometer and iSOPARC data. Children in diverse rural communities are physically active at Play Streets. Play Streets are a promising intervention for promoting active play among children that lack safe opportunities to be active.

Perceived Physical Activity Barriers of Mexican-Heritage Sibling Dyads

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) has been linked to many health benefits. Personal, social, and environmental factors can be barriers to PA and reduce odds of meeting PA recommendations. Sibling relationships have been shown to influence PA. This study evaluates PA barriers among siblings over 2 time periods. Methods: Eighty-seven sibling dyads from Mexican-heritage families residing in colonias along the Texas/Mexico border were recruited by promotora-researchers to complete a 21-item PA barrier survey during summer and the school year. Frequencies of responses for each barrier were calculated for older and younger siblings at both time periods. Concordance among sibling PA barriers was assessed using percent agreement and Cohen's kappa statistic (κ). We used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine differences in factor loadings based on season. We calculated mean subscale scores and compared scores using non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Weather, homework, and self-consciousness were most frequently reported barriers. Older siblings reported more barriers than younger siblings during the school year. EFA results suggest different scales for summertime and school year. Conclusions: Sibling relationships may affect perceptions of barriers to PA. Perception of barriers may need to be measured differently depending on season.