Supportive Environments for Physical Activity
Goal: Promote thriving children and families by increasing access to and opportunity for improved physical activity within urban neighborhoods through the development of safe and supportive environments.
One approach to increasing opportunities for physical activity in low-resource communities is through the implementation of shared use agreements. Entities with large space for activity offer to make that space available to other organizations and the broader community to host different types of programs.
IMPACT was a three-year intervention study that worked with overweight and/or obese middle school students from Cleveland and at least one parent or guardian to compare the effects of two family-based behavioral interventions on change in BMI over the 36-month period. The study also assessed the additive value of an enriched school environment (participation in the We Run This City program).
We Run This City Youth Marathon program is an innovative school/community-based fitness program administered by the YMCA of Greater Cleveland in collaboration with the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, and PRCHN. We Run This City engages middle and high school youth across Cleveland (CMSD and charter schools) and encourages them to stay active.