How Much Observation Is Enough? Refining the Administration of SOPARC

Abstract

Background The Systematic Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) was designed to estimate the number and characteristics of people using neighborhood parks by assessing them 4 times/day, 7 days/week. We tested whether this schedule was adequate and determined the minimum number of observations necessary to provide a robust estimate of park user characteristics and their physical activity levels. Methods We conducted observations every hour for 14 hours per day during one summer and one autumn week in 10 urban neighborhood parks: 2 each in Los Angeles, CA, Albuquerque, NM, Columbus, OH, Durham, NC, and Philadelphia, PA. We counted park users by gender, age group, apparent race/ethnicity, and activity level. We used a standardized Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation coefficients to test the reliability of using fewer observations. Results We observed 76,632 individuals, an average of 547/day (range 155 – 786). Inter-observer reliability ranged from 0.80 to 0.99. Obtaining a robust estimate of park user characteristics and their physical activity required a schedule of 4 days/week, 4 times/day. Conclusion An abbreviated schedule of SOPARC was sufficient for estimating park use, park user characteristics, and physical activity. Applying these observation methods can augment physical activity surveillance.

Physical Activity Surveillance in Parks Using Direct Observation

“…Other limitations of direct observation instruments are that they require specific training and that data collection can be time consuming (13). In this study, we used SOPARC during four 1-hour observations per day on 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days and entered the data onto PDAs (23). This procedure reduces data collection and management time.…”

“…The built features of parks such as playgrounds, sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, and, in particular, walking trails have been shown to affect physical activity across the life span (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). Parks in lower-income areas have been shown to have fewer built features (12)(13)(14)23,24) and fewer users (23,24) than those in higher-income areas. Most park studies have focused on a specific population within a small geographic area and have been of short duration.…”

How Can Neighborhood Parks Be Used to Increase Physical Activity?

“…SOPARC offers a systematic way to estimate the number and characteristics of people using neighborhood parks Cohen, Setodji, et al, 2011). Researchers divide the park into "target areas" (see Figure 1) and observe park use in each area four times a day, seven days a week.…”

If You Build It Will They Come? Does Involving Community Groups in Playground Renovations Affect Park Utilization and Physical Activity?

“…The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) (Cohen et al, 2011;McKenzie, Cohen, Sehgal, Williamson, & Golinelli, 2006), a valid and reliable systematic protocol for measurement of population-level PA and utilization, was used to collect the key outcome measures: (a) park utilization, (b) the number of people engaged in sedentary behavior; and (c) the number of people engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA).…”