If They Build It, They Will Come: Associations Between Infrastructure & Physical Activity
Tramari Poole1, Obie S. McNair, MPH2
1Mississippi INBRE Service Scholar, Hinds Community College, Utica, MS
2My Brother’s Keeper Inc., Jackson, MS
Obesity rates in America have steadily remained around 39.8 percent, or roughly 93.3 million people. Comparatively the rates are similar in the Mississippi where 35.5% of adults and 15.4% of adolescents are dealing with obesity. Physical activity is important for obesity prevention because it can burn and/or help maintain body fat. However, for many residents of Mississippi, access remains an impediment in achieving physical activity for obesity prevention. The purpose of the research is to examine the access to spaces for physical activity across the state of Mississippi. Data was extracted from Project Change 3.0 which aim to investigate food and physical activity access among residence in Mississippi. Five cities were chosen based on their population size in Mississippi. Questions selected link the role that physical activity has with obesity prevention. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and completed in SPSS. Data shows that counties with greater access to physical activity infrastructure also had a greater percentage of residents engaging in physically active lifestyles. One limitation is that the survey does not provide respondents' definition of "active"; therefore, the data could be skew regarding participants' perception of "active lifestyle". These results were enhanced by secondary data which showed that counties with greater access had better county health rankings. Overall, the research found that access to physical infrastructure does increase the likelihood of residents engaging in physical activity. Future recommendations are to work with counties that lack these spaces in effort to create them and promote a healthier lifestyle for its residents.