Despite approximately 50 million Americans living in rural areas, most research on the built environment and physical activity has focused on urban and suburban settings. It is not known if the urban-based models and interventions that have been developed are relevant to the understudied rural areas of the country. In this exploratory study, researchers at the University of Southern Maine will investigate how and where rural youth in Maine are physically active, and will help to define the built and natural environment factors that support and limit daily physical activity. Students in grades 4-12 in three selected rural, low-income Maine communities will provide information about their physical activity patterns and their perceptions of physical and social environments that support or create barriers to physical activity. The information collected in this study will be used to confirm and refine the conceptual model and to develop suggestions for interventions in homes, schools, and communities to facilitate increased physical activity among youth.For more information, view the Active Living for Rural Youth Research & Policy Brief produced from this ALR grant.
