UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. government officials often cut park spending first because they consider it an amenity, but researchers say parks should be considered part of healthcare.
Geof Godbey, professor emeritus of leisure studies, and Andrew Mowen, associate professor of recreation and parks management at Pennsylvania State University, say the payoff for investing in public parks and recreation sites may be healthier, more physically fit residents and a less strained healthcare system.
The researchers prepared a report for the National Recreation and Park Association that says spending an extra $10 per person on park and recreational facilities provides more vigorous exercise for girls and better strength-building for both sexes.
"As the study points out, for just an additional $10, that money provides a significant increase in the amount of exercise you can get," Godbey says in a statement. "What would a health club provide for that same $10?"
The report says the number of parks and playgrounds in a community can raise the fitness level of residents, and one study found there was an increase of 17 more minutes of physical activity for each park within a half mile of a home.
About 85 percent of middle-aged and older participants surveyed in a five-city study said they visited a local park within the last year, with 40 percent saying they visit a park more than once a week, the report says.
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