Physical Activity in Communities

RWJF Priority: Increase physical activity by improving the built environment in communities

When children have safe places to walk, bike and play in their communities, they’re more likely to be active and less likely to be obese. Communities can increase opportunities for physical activity by building new sidewalks, bike paths, parks, and playgrounds—and by improving those that already exist.

To encourage families to use these resources and facilities, communities can implement traffic-safety measures and neighborhood watch programs, so children are safe when playing outside. Such measures are especially important in underserved communities, where residents often face high crime rates, dangerous traffic patterns, and unsafe sidewalks.

The resources below, from RWJF grantees and partners, highlight recent efforts to identify the most promising solutions for promoting physical activity in communities.

Childhood Obesity Policy Priorities

From the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids

Renovating Northgate Park in Camden, NJ

"We want to see kids and families active." The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids helped to rennovate Camden's Northgate Park, where residents can now use the new playground and participate in activities like tennis, volleyball, and cycling.

Watch the video

From Active Living Research

Do All Children Have Places to be Active?

Children who live in communities of color and lower-income communities are more likely to live in neighborhoods that do not support physical activity.

Read the brief

From Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities

A Healthier Park

Chicago's healthy improvements to Humbolt Park include installing community gardens and healthy vending machines, and improving pedestrian access to parks.

Watch the video

From Salud America!

Physical Activity, Overweight and Obesity Among Latino Youth

Transportation issues, safety concerns, and lack recreational opportunities are some of the factors that prevent Latino youths from being active and encourage sedentary behaviors.

Read the brief

From Active Living Research

Promoting Physical Activity Through the Shared Use of School and Community Recreational Resources

Shared use of school and community recreational facilities are a cost-effective way to promote physical activity in a community.

Learn more

3 p.m. to Bedtime: Crunch Time for Children and Obesity

Crunch Time: Challenges and Solutions

A poll reveals that many parents face a variety of barriers to helping their children lead healthy lives, especially during the "crunch time" from 3 p.m. to bedtime.

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Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Active Living Logan Square

December 1, 2009 | Journal Article

This article profiles the work of Active Living Logan Square, a program run by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association with funding from Active Living by Design. Active Living Logan Square was able to make positive active living improvements by engaging the community and a wide variety of partners.

The Path to Active Living

December 1, 2009 | Journal Article

This article examines the work of the Somerville Active Living by Design Partnership. The authors report on the partnership between Active Living by Design and community organizations and assess the key successes and challenges of the project.

Get Active Orlando

December 1, 2009 | Journal Article

Get Active Orlando (GAO), a community partnership focused on increasing active living in one lower-income neighborhood in Orlando, FL, succeeded in both its long-term infrastructure-related and its short-term lifestyle-related goals, according to an assessment by representatives of GAO and the city.

Active Seattle

December 1, 2009 | Journal Article

Although the successes of Active Seattle, a partnership of a pedestrian advocacy group and the City of Seattle's transportation and public health units, reflect citywide change that could increase walking over time, a local assessment reports there are still barriers that require the initiative to modify its methods and broaden its programmatic approach.

Guam Sustantia Project

August 4, 2010 | Program Result Report

The Guam SDA (Seventh-day Adventist) Ypao Church of the Guam Micronesia Missions developed and implemented the Sustantia Project, a campaign to end childhood obesity in Guam.

Active Living by Design featured in a Special Supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine

December 11, 2009 | Journal Article

This special issue of the AJPM features research from RWJF's Active Living by Design (ALbD) program and its 15 community partnerships.

More Paths and Safer Routes Needed to Make America More Bike-Friendly

October 1, 2002 | Program Result Report

Earth Force in Alexandria, Va. held two Youth Bike Summits in 1999 and 2000 in Washington, D.C., as part of its Get Out Spoke'N! campaign to make America more bike-friendly.

A Hierarchy of Sociodemographic and Environmental Correlates of Walking and Obesity

August 1, 2008 | Journal Article

This study reveals links between built environment, the likelihood of certain populations to walk in their neighborhoods, and overweight outcomes.

Active Living by Design

February 4, 2013 | Program Result Report

From 2001 to 2009, 25 community partnerships across the country pursued projects designed to revamp the built environment and change public policies to make physical activity part of everyday life.

Active Living Research

December 20, 2012 | Program Result Report

Active Living Research is an ongoing national program to identify environmental factors and policies that can substantially increase levels of physical activity and to provide policy-makers with evidence about how to create more activity-friendly communities.