Background/Purpose Children from low-income, minority families often reside in neighborhoods that limit their opportunities to participate in physical activity due to environmental factors (e. g., restricted access to recreational facilities, limited outdoor play space [Stevens, 2009]). Using a Social – Cognitive (Bandura, 1986) framework this investigation explored low-income children's and adults' perceptions of environmental barriers to their participation in physical activity
Method
Children (N= 38, 31 Hispanic; 4 African-American, 2 Caucasian) and adults (N = 21; 17 Hispanic, 4 Caucasian) living at or below the federal poverty level who resided in public housing complexes in a city in central Texas volunteered to participate. The participants engaged in all aspects of Participatory Photo Mapping (PPM). PPM is an innovative participatory research technique that incorporates narrative interviewing with digital photography and mapping then culminates in the development of an action plan identifying the participants' goals for their community (Dennis et al., 2009).
Analysis/Results
PPM results revealed that adults identified safety concerns (i.e., lighting, signage, sidewalks, crosswalks); whereas the youth identified lack of equipment and outdoor play spaces as major obstacles to children's participation in neighborhood physical activity. An Action-Plan was developed and presented to City Council. In response to the Action – Plan the city installed additional lighting, crosswalks, and signage in the community. In addition, a proposal was funded ($177,000) to install recreational equipment, water fountains, and green space at the neighborhood park.
Conclusions
PPM empowered participants to engage in neighborhood transformation to promote physical activity. PPM is a valuable methodology in community-based participatory studies.
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