Evaluation of an inter-agency collaboration to promote park visitation and physical activity among youth in Greenville County, South Carolina | |
Summary
The overall purpose of Park Hop is to: 1) increase park awareness and discovery, 2) increase park-based physical activity, and 3) create an annual tradition for all Greenville County residents to enjoy. |
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Park Hop Evaluation has been funded by University of South Carolina Office of Research and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Community Health. | |
LiveWell Greenville & At Play Workgroup
LiveWell Greenville (LWG) is a network of organizations partnering to “make the healthy choice the easy choice” for all Greenville County, SC residents through healthy eating and active living policy, systems, and environmental changes. LWG supports initiatives in a number of community settings including recreation and play. The LWG At Play workgroup supports the growth and maintenance of our public parks and trails systems to promote accessibility to safe, convenient places to be physically active. |
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Park Hop EvaluationThere are several methods that have been used over the past four years to evaluate the effectiveness, satisfaction, and overall perceptions and attitudes of Park Hop participants. The main method used is an online survey which is administered to all families that sign up at the beginning of Park Hop (May) as well as a follow-up survey administered to all participating families at the end of Park Hop (August). By using a pre-
These surveys also allow us to capture the overall satisfaction that participants have regarding Park Hop and provide an outlet for families to provide open-ended, detailed feedback regarding their positive experiences and aspects of the program that could be improved. Surveys have been administered each summer for years 2013-2016. In addition, in 2014, we were able to complete direct observation of park users in a select number of Park Hop parks to examine whether there was an increased number of park visitors as a result of being a Park Hop location. Furthermore, in 2015, we conducted two focus groups – one with parents and one with youth – to understand more in-depth perspectives regarding Park Hop. |
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Conferences & PublicationsAs a result of this collaborative workgroup and evaluation team, we have had the opportunity to share this innovative program and results in several different academic and professional outlets. Conferences
Publications
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Project TeamFor more information about the evaluation of Park Hop, feel free to contact us: Andrew Kaczynski, PhD Morgan Hughey, MPH Melissa Fair, MPH Sarah King |