NCT04114734

Park Rx and Physical Activity Among Low-income Children

Park Rx, Physical Activity and Other Health Benefits Among Low-income Children

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 500 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Kaiser Permanente · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 6 Years – 16 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study is a randomized controlled trial to evaluate ParkRx, a clinic-based counseling intervention in which health care providers prescribe park visits at a specific frequency, duration, and includes instructions for physical activity in the parks. We will assess whether prescribing visits to specific parks changes physical activity levels and improves health and mental health outcomes among low-income pediatric patients.

Detailed description

Park prescriptions are formal clinical encouragements for patients to engage in more physical activity outdoors. From the beginning, ParkRx has been perceived as a common-sense solution to physical inactivity and to increasing the time children might be spending outdoors in nature. In spite of a lack of rigorous evidence that it is effective, the ParkRx concept is currently being widely disseminated and has been embraced by multiple national organizations. Unity Health, a federally qualified community health center in Washington, DC, is currently implementing park prescriptions for its largely low-income and minority population, a group at high risk of chronic diseases, physical inactivity and obesity. In partnership with Unity Health, we propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to prospectively evaluate Park Rx's impact on physical activity, as well as other secondary health outcomes in pediatric patients. Our specific aims are: 1) to test whether Park Rx will increase park visits and accelerometry-measured physical activity among children; 2) to identify any biological impacts of Park Rx on health, including impact on hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, HbA1C, overweight and obesity, for those patients with relevant diagnoses; 3) to explore impacts on mental health, including stress and measures of cognitive functioning; and 4) to determine whether there are age and gender differences in adherence to and impact of Park Rx. The results of this study will quantify the effectiveness of Park Rx and inform its future dissemination.

Conditions

• Physical Activity
• Mental Health Wellness 1

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Park Rx	Participants will be advised to visit a specific park at a specific frequency and duration

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-03-27
• Primary completion: 2024-12-01
• Completion: 2025-07-31
• First posted: 2019-10-03
• Last updated: 2023-03-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States