A new systematic review in the American Journal of Health Promotion finds that providing public parks and walking and biking trails is the most cost-effective strategy to increase physical activity among large populations in urban areas.
Virpi Kuvja-Kollner, lead author of the review, noted that although public budgets for health care and other services are tighter than ever, the most cost-effective approach to increase physical activity among large urban populations is to make changes to the structural environment. Creation of more outdoor exercise opportunities, such as "pedestrian or bicycle trails en route to public transportation stations or providing public parks in densely populated areas," can require a substantial public investment but have long life spans.
"The main focus in promoting physical activity should be to get people who are not active to get moving instead of just promoting more exercise to those who are already active," added Kuvja-Kollner, a researcher/instructor and doctoral candidate at the University of Eastern Finland.
Between May and August 2013, the researchers searched 2,058 articles relating to physical activity among wide population groups, using ten that met the criteria for this review. Their analysis found that physical activity for large population groups was more effective in terms of both costs and effects when people used public spaces for exercise.
[For more of this story, written by Sharyn Alden, go to http://www.cfah.org/hbns/2014/...-to-promote-exercise]
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