The Rand Research Corporation released a study indicating that a "nearly free" resource in the childhood obesity crisis is the local school park or playground. The study found that "girls who live farther than a half-mile from a school playground have a 3-percent higher body mass index than girls who do have playgrounds within a half mile of where they live."
The impact of the built environment on helping children and youths move more, eat well, stay healthy,so that they can do their best in school and in life is part of The City Project initiative on environmental health.
The City Project recommendations for government are revealed in The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children article which will be published later this month in PEDIATRICS.