Association of Park Access with Usual Stress of Adolescents

Chronic usual stress is associated with obesity, weight gain, disorders of growth, development, and metabolism, and is also a risk factor for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have found that the presence of subjective measures of green space in adolescents' built environment may protect against daily psychological stress, but did not control for the potential stress reducing benefits of physical activity. PURPOSE: To determine the association between objective measures of neighborhood park area and usual stress of adolescents, while controlling for physical activity. METHODS: 32 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-15, completed one-week of accelerometer and activity recording. Adolescents completed the PSS-14 measure of perceived stress, and parents completed a demographic questionnaire. Neighborhood built environment and park access variables were calculated using a geographic information system (GIS) and ArcGIS 9 and Network Analyst software. A network 0.5 mile was used for distance calculations. Accelerometer data were screened for completeness by trained researchers and converted to METs. Multiple regression was used to test the association of park area and the interaction of park and gender with usual stress while controlling for socioeconomic status and physical activity. RESULTS: Separate models of neighborhood total park area (ft2) ( beta = -0.000007, p [< or =] 0.05) and percentage of park area ( beta = -67.53, p [< or =] 0.03) both predicted usual stress. CONCLUSIONS: Access to neighborhood parks and green space may buffer usual stress of adolescents, even when controlling for socioeconomic status and the protective effects of exercise on stress.