Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health
Population Health Research Brief Series
Fitness, Parks, and Active Transportation Organizations Support Community Recovery and Physical Activity After Disasters
Claire Pendergrast, Scott Miles, Youngjun Choe, Nicole Errett
January 2022
Disaster-impacted communities face many threats to health and wellbeing during the recovery period. Fitness, parks, and active transportation organizations support physical activity and social connectedness on an everyday basis and are well-positioned to support communities’ diverse needs during disaster recovery.
This research brief summarizes findings from a peer-reviewed study showing that fitness, parks, and active transportation organizations’ trusted relationships, large organizational networks, and health promotion expertise enables them to support disaster recovery efforts and community health after disasters.