IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i19p9976-d640874.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effects of Play Streets on Social and Community Connectedness in Rural Communities

Author

Listed:
  • M. Renée Umstattd Meyer

    (Department of Public Health, Baylor University Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Waco, TX 78628, USA)

  • Tyler Prochnow

    (Department of Public Health, Baylor University Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Waco, TX 78628, USA
    Department of Health & Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Andrew C. Pickett

    (Division of Kinesiology & Sport Management, School of Education Research Center, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA)

  • Cynthia K. Perry

    (School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA)

  • Christina N. Bridges Hamilton

    (Department of Public Health, Baylor University Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Waco, TX 78628, USA
    Department of Public Health & Health Education, SUNY Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420, USA)

  • Christiaan G. Abildso

    (Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, West Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, WV 25606, USA)

  • Keshia M. Pollack Porter

    (Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

Abstract

Promoting physical activity (PA) is a long-standing public health initiative to improve overall health and wellbeing. Innovative strategies such as Play Streets, temporary activation of public spaces to provide safe places for active play, are being adopted in urban and rural communities to increase PA among children. As part of these strategies, aspects of social and community connectedness may be strengthened. This study analyzes focus groups and interviews from rural Play Street implementation team members ( n = 14) as well as adults ( n = 7) and children ( n = 25) who attended Play Streets hosted in rural North Carolina, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas to better understand the added benefits of Play Streets in community connectedness. Overall, elements of social support and social cohesion are mentioned most frequently with instrumental and conditional support; however, concepts of social capital, collective-efficacy, and social identification are also presented. Participants expressed that Play Streets provided more than just PA; they provided opportunities to access and share resources, build perceptions of safety and trust in the community, and develop relationships with others. Fostering community connection through Play Streets may reduce health inequities in rural communities by building community resilience. Community-based PA programming that enhance and capitalize on community connectedness could be effective ways to improving the overall health and wellbeing of residents.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Renée Umstattd Meyer & Tyler Prochnow & Andrew C. Pickett & Cynthia K. Perry & Christina N. Bridges Hamilton & Christiaan G. Abildso & Keshia M. Pollack Porter, 2021. "The Effects of Play Streets on Social and Community Connectedness in Rural Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:9976-:d:640874
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/9976/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/9976/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lu-Yi Qiu & Ling-Yun He, 2018. "Bike Sharing and the Economy, the Environment, and Health-Related Externalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-10, April.
    2. Osterberg, D. & Wallinga, D., 2004. "Addressing externalities from swine production to reduce public health and environmental impacts," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(10), pages 1703-1708.
    3. Kathleen A Cagney & David Sterrett & Jennifer Benz & Trevor Tompson, 2016. "Social Resources and Community Resilience in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Cosimo Talò & Terri Mannarini & Alessia Rochira, 2014. "Sense of Community and Community Participation: A Meta-Analytic Review," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 117(1), pages 1-28, May.
    5. Julianne Holt-Lunstad & Timothy B Smith & J Bradley Layton, 2010. "Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(7), pages 1-1, July.
    6. Chongyu Yue & Cuiping Liu & Jing Wang & Meng Zhang & Hongjing Wu & Chunrong Li & Xiuling Yang, 2021. "Association between social support and anxiety among pregnant women in the third trimester during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Qingdao, China: The mediating effect of risk perce," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(2), pages 120-127, March.
    7. Zieff, Susan G. & Chaudhuri, Anoshua & Musselman, Elaine, 2016. "Creating neighborhood recreational space for youth and children in the urban environment: Play(ing in the) Streets in San Francisco," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 95-101.
    8. M. Francisca Lima & Catharine Ward Thompson & Peter Aspinall, 2020. "Friendly Communities and Outdoor Spaces in Contexts of Urban Population Decline," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-13, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Josephine Y. Chau & Putu Novi Arfirsta Dharmayani & Helen Little, 2023. "Navigating Neighbourhood Opposition and Climate Change: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Play Street Pilot in Sydney, Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-11, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Allison Ross & Craig A. Talmage & Mark Searle, 2020. "The Impact of Neighboring on Changes in Sense of Community Over Time: A Latent Transition Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 327-345, May.
    2. Littman, Danielle Maude, 2024. "Practices and settings which promote a psychological sense of community among young people who experience social marginalization: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    3. Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis & Helder Fernando Pedrosa Sousa & Andreia de Moura & Lilian M. F. Viterbo & Ricardo J. Pinto, 2019. "Health Behaviors as a Mediator of the Association Between Interpersonal Relationships and Physical Health in a Workplace Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-9, July.
    4. Evans-Polce, Rebecca J. & Staff, Jeremy & Maggs, Jennifer L., 2016. "Alcohol abstention in early adulthood and premature mortality: Do early life factors, social support, and health explain this association?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 71-79.
    5. Santini, Ziggi Ivan & Jose, Paul E. & Koyanagi, Ai & Meilstrup, Charlotte & Nielsen, Line & Madsen, Katrine R. & Koushede, Vibeke, 2020. "Formal social participation protects physical health through enhanced mental health: A longitudinal mediation analysis using three consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in E," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    6. Ruta Clair & Maya Gordon & Matthew Kroon & Carolyn Reilly, 2021. "The effects of social isolation on well-being and life satisfaction during pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, December.
    7. Lena Lämmle & Alexander Woll & Gert B. M. Mensink & Klaus Bös, 2013. "Distal and Proximal Factors of Health Behaviors and Their Associations with Health in Children and Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-35, July.
    8. Fernando L Vázquez & Patricia Otero & J Antonio García-Casal & Vanessa Blanco & Ángela J Torres & Manuel Arrojo, 2018. "Efficacy of video game-based interventions for active aging. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-24, December.
    9. Radzimski, Adam & Dzięcielski, Michał, 2021. "Exploring the relationship between bike-sharing and public transport in Poznań, Poland," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 189-202.
    10. Valéria Teresa Saraiva Lino & Nádia Cristina Pinheiro Rodrigues & Mônica Kramer de Noronha Andrade & Inês Nascimento de Carvalho Reis & Lucília Almeida Elias Lopes & Soraya Atie, 2019. "Association between visual problems, insufficient emotional support and urinary incontinence with disability in elderly people living in a poor district in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A six-year follow-up," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-12, May.
    11. Regina Kuppen & Mirjam de Leede & Jolanda Lindenberg & David van Bodegom, 2023. "Collective Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases in an Ageing Population with Community Care," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-14, February.
    12. Joanne Brooke & Maria Clark, 2020. "Older people’s early experience of household isolation and social distancing during COVID‐19," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(21-22), pages 4387-4402, November.
    13. Qin Xiang Ng & Kuan Tsee Chee & Michelle Lee Zhi Qing De Deyn & Zenn Chua, 2020. "Staying connected during the COVID-19 pandemic," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(5), pages 519-520, August.
    14. Fredrica Nyqvist & Bernd Pape & Tony Pellfolk & Anna Forsman & Kristian Wahlbeck, 2014. "Structural and Cognitive Aspects of Social Capital and All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 545-566, April.
    15. Clément Meier & Jürgen Maurer, 2022. "Buddy or burden? Patterns, perceptions, and experiences of pet ownership among older adults in Switzerland," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1201-1212, December.
    16. Jintao Li & Yan Dai & Cynthia Changxin Wang & Jun Sun, 2022. "Assessment of Environmental Demands of Age-Friendly Communities from Perspectives of Different Residential Groups: A Case of Wuhan, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-20, July.
    17. Alexandros Nikitas, 2019. "How to Save Bike-Sharing: An Evidence-Based Survival Toolkit for Policy-Makers and Mobility Providers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, June.
    18. Nakagomi, Atsushi & Tsuji, Taishi & Saito, Masashige & Ide, Kazushige & Kondo, Katsunori & Shiba, Koichiro, 2023. "Social isolation and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: A longitudinal outcome-wide analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    19. Haywantee Ramkissoon, 2021. "Social Bonding and Public Trust/Distrust in COVID-19 Vaccines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-6, September.
    20. Di Novi, Cinzia & Martini, Gianmaria & Sturaro, Caterina, 2023. "The impact of informal and formal care disruption on older adults’ psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in UK," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:9976-:d:640874. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.