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What factors affect use and access to community recreation facilities and outdoor spaces among families?

Our Strathcona County: Recreation, Parks and Culture department partners wondered just that!

Together we studied the facilitators and barriers that families with children aged 3-5 years experience when using recreation facilities in their community.

We used Photovoice methods to better understand families’ experiences. Photovoice is a research method that asks participants to take pictures of their environment to describe their experience.

Information from this project helped to inform municipal planning to better support the families in the community.

  • Dr. Candace Nykiforuk, School of Public Health, University of Alberta (Nominated Principal Investigator)
  • Dr. Ana Paula Belon, PLACE Research Lab, School of Public Health, University of Alberta (Co-Principal Investigator and Study Lead)
  • Dr. Helen Vallianatos, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta (Co-investigator)
  • Strathcona County, Recreation, Parks and Culture (Collaborator)
  • Jennifer Ann McGetrick, School of Public Health, University of Alberta (Student)
  • Lisa Jensen, PLACE Research Lab, School of Public Health, University of Alberta (Student)

2016-2017 PolicyWise for Children & Families

Project Categories

Our Approach
Community Based and Population Health Interventions Natural Experiments and Government-led Population-health Interventions Innovative Interdisciplinary Methods Healthy Public Policy Collaborate and Engage with Partners
Research Program Areas
Community Environments Public Policy and Well-being Play Chronic Disease Prevention