UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. An upcoming episode from the Growing Impact podcast, which will launch April 1, features Melissa BoppPenn State’s associate professor of kinesiology, College of Health and Human Development. Her research focuses upon understanding and promoting physical activity among diverse populations and environments. Bopp discusses her seed grant project, Engaging Underserved Communities and environmental assessment for healthier living. She and her colleagues are studying the role of the natural and built environment and how it affects physical activity, healthy eating, air quality, and other aspects.
Bopp and her team are currently working in the Mon Valley, an area south of Pittsburgh. This region is a 70-mile stretch of land that runs from Pittsburgh to the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border. It has experienced steady economic decline ever since the demise of the steel industry in the latter 20th century.
Bopp stated that one thing we want to do with this project, is to conduct environmental assessments in all the Mon Valley communities to understand their strengths in terms of available resources for promoting healthy living.
The objective data being collected is such things as the availability of playgrounds, trails, and parks. The team is also looking at subjective data, such the perceptions of communities regarding resources, such as the quality of the sidewalks.
Bopp said that we can see by auditing whether the sidewalks in your neighborhood have been maintained well. If you feel unsafe, cracked, or discontinuous, you won’t be able to walk safely on the sidewalks.
Bopp stated that it is vital to document such information in underserved communities as it is the first step to a community being able to advocate to change.
If you can show information to decision makers about tying a shortage of resources to an disproportionately higher rate or disability, that should make a stronger argument, she said.
Growing ImpactThis podcast is produced by the Institutes of Energy and the Environment. It features Penn State researchers who were awarded IEE seed grants. It also discusses their foundational work as the progress their projects. The podcast is available across multiple platforms, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Spotify.