Local Parks Partnerships With Health Care Providers Could Provide Positive Changes in Children’s Body Mass Index

Getting children involved in outdoor recreational activities can do more than help them make friends, according to a new study. The study, “Using Parks and Recreation Providers to Enhance Obesity Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” published in the March 2025 Pediatrics (published online Feb. 10) selected a randomized group of children from Durham, N.C.,  ages 5 to 17 who are living with obesity and placed them in either a control group that received typical nutrition and activity counseling from their primary care providers or a group that would be enrolled in Fit Together, a 6-month program that adds group-based physical activity and cooking classes for the whole family, located at a local recreation center. Those children that participated in the Fit Together program fared better than their peers in respect to weight outcomes, with significant BMI drops. Those who fared the best included younger, male, non-white Hispanic participants. However, the study did not find any significant impact on cardiorespiratory fitness and was impacted by program disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic which limited available data. Authors state the study shows promise for the partnership of pediatric clinicians with parks and recreation as an effective, engaging, and community-centered approach to helping children achieve healthy weight.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.