Longitudinal Analysis of Shared Use of School Physical Activity Facilities in 4 Low-Income Cities in New Jersey From 2010 to 2020.

Abstract

Background: US physical activity (PA) guidelines promote community-level initiatives like shared use of recreational facilities to support PA. "Shared use" occurs when entities, like schools, allow community access to their facilities. Despite its benefits, comprehensive data tracking prevalence of these initiatives over time is lacking. This study examines the trends of shared use of PA facilities in public schools in 4 New Jersey cities between 2010 and 2020 and the school-level factors associated with it.

Methods: Data on community access to school indoor and outdoor PA facilities were collected through surveys of school personnel from K-12 public schools (n = 94-124) from school year 2010-2011 to 2019-2020 (N = 1096 surveys). School demographics data were drawn from the National Center for Education Statistics. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for repeated measurements within schools were used to examine the prevalence of shared use.

Results: Over the study period, shared use of school PA facilities declined significantly, for both indoor (66.2% to 46.3%) and outdoor (46.1% to 31.6%) facilities (P = .002, for both). The number of school PA facilities available was associated with higher odds of having a shared use (P < .001). Primary schools had a significantly higher prevalence of shared use of indoor (55.7%) facilities compared with secondary schools (49.8%) over the 10-year study period.

Conclusions: The study highlights decline in shared use of school PA facilities from school years 2010-2011 to 2019-2020. Further research is needed to understand this decline and develop strategies to promote adoption of shared use.