Using a Community Workgroup Approach to Increase Access to Physical Activity in an Underresourced Urban Community

Abstract

Background.

Regular physical activity is associated with improved physical and psychosocial well-being. Increasing access to physical activity in underresourced communities requires collaborative, community-engaged methods. One such method is community workgroups.

Purpose.

The purpose of this article is to describe implementation, strengths, challenges, and results of the workgroup approach as applied to increasing access to physical activity, using our recent study as an illustrative example.

Method.

A 1-day conference was held in April 2017 for community leaders. The first half of the conference focused on disseminating results of a multifaceted community assessment. The second half entailed community workgroups. Workgroups focused on applying community assessment results to develop strategies for increasing access to physical activity, with plans for ongoing workgroup involvement for strategy refinement and implementation. A professional artist documented the workgroup process and recommendations via graphic recording.

Results.

Sixty-three community leaders attended the conference and participated in the workgroups. Workgroup participants reported that greater macrosystem collaboration was critical for sustainability of physical activity programming and that, particularly in underresourced urban communities, re-imagining existing spaces (rather than building new spaces) may be a promising strategy for increasing access to physical activity.

Discussion.

Considered collectively, the community workgroup approach provided unique insight and rich data around increasing access to physical activity. It also facilitated stakeholder engagement with and ownership of community health goals. With careful implementation that includes attention to strengths, challenges, and planning for long-term follow-up, the community workgroup approach can be used to develop health promotion strategies in underresourced communities.