Austin Parks Officials To Study Debilitating Effects Of Heat

Austin, TX — The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently awarded a $341,000 grant to Austin Parks and Recreation Department to study the physical and emotional health effects of worsening extreme heat due to climate change, officials said.

Those involved in a PARD initiative dubbed "Cities Connecting Children to Nature" will examine whether worsening heat decreases opportunities for physical activity and reduces the overall emotional well-being of young people, officials explained.

The project will evaluate the impact of green infrastructure on heat index, physical activity of children, and outcomes from park use. For the purposes of this study, green infrastructure will primarily include trees, but will also encompass nature trails and gardens, officials added.

PARD officials have identified three elementary school parks — Barrington, Cook and Odom — which are largely in a Latino and economically disadvantaged areas as the focus of the planned research. Latino children from low-income families have been found to live in areas characterized by urban heat islands and exhibit lower physical activity levels and higher risk of heat illness than other groups.

The research, officials explained, will assess the heat index in relation to physical activity of the students. The variables will include time exposed to shade from tree canopies and whether long periods of exposure increase children’s physical activity, officials added. The goal of the research is to determine whether there is a correlation between the presence of green infrastructure and physically and emotionally stronger children, officials further explained.

“This study will help the Austin Parks and Recreation Department learn about the effects of a warming climate on the physical and mental health of our youngest Austinites,” PARD Director Kimberly McNeeley said in prepared statement. “The results will help us understand how equitable access to nature can keep kids happy, healthy, and playing outside.”

The two-year project is a collaboration among PARD, The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, the Children and Nature Network and Austin Independent School District. PARD officials expect to publish the results in the spring of 2021.