One of the biggest obstacles many communities face in encouraging children and their families to be physically active is a lack of accessible open spaces and athletic facilities. But addressing the issue won’t necessarily require building parks or fitness centers. It could be as simple as unlocking a gate. Most local schools have playgrounds, gyms, fields, basketball courts and open space, but school officials often close these facilities after school because of legitimate concerns over cost, vandalism, security and liability in case of injury. It means kids have a harder time being active after school — but there is a solution. Many schools and local governments have partnered to create shared-use agreements that allow school playgrounds and gyms to be used after-school to support physical activity among all community members.
PreventObesity.net hosted this informative and interactive session on important data to explain the concept of shared-use agreements, how they can help address childhood obesity and how schools and communities share their facilities to create more opportunities for residents to be active. This 50 minute webinar, facilitated by Manal Aboelata of the Prevention Institute and Rebecca Frank of PreventObesity.net, will explain the basics of shared-use agreements, offer tips for reaching out to schools and governments to create them and provide insight into navigating local laws and regulations to properly craft them.
Presenters:
- Dr. John Spengler, University of Florida
- Dr. Jamie Chriqui, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Genoveva Islas-Hooker, The Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program
Additional information:
