Here's how parks can promote the health and well-being of city dwellers

Washington DC: Improving urban parks could help make residents more active, a study by Penn State researchers in Preventing Chronic Disease reported.

The ParkScore of a city – an evaluation of the parks system of a city – could lead to more physical exercise for its residents. The Trust for Public Land created ParkScore, an index to rank the park systems of the 100 largest cities in the United States, they added.

"What we discovered, is that the higher the ParkScore index is high – which is a way of saying, the better the parks system – the greater the proportion of the population that practiced a Physical activity is important and it is only a slight positive change in this score. " Lauren Mullenbach.

For example, the researchers reported that a 10-point improvement in ParkScore Atlanta's population increase of 420,003 In 2014, an additional 2,688 people would participate in a recreation-related physical activity.

According to Mullenbach, cities with more accessible, more spacious and well-funded parks rank higher. City planners do not need to undertake dramatic programs to improve their parks and increase the physical activity of their residents.

"Cities could do a lot to increase their score, and some of the improvements are: relatively simple," said Mullenbach. "They could spend more money in parks or park programs, expand the size of their park or increase pedestrian access by putting sidewalks in parks or adding a few extra entrances."

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