Not the dinner table. Not the gym. To combat childhood obesity, a University research team took the fight to a new place—the playground.

The study, involving the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the College of Design, examined children’s activity in various park settings to better design parks to maximize comfort and activity.

According to Myron Floyd, professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management and one of the principle investigators; the study was part of an ambitious goal by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

 ”The foundation has made the goal of reversing childhood obesity by 2015,” Johnson said.

The study analyzed a variety of factors at 20 Durham parks related to how children use equipment.

As researchers expected, children’s activity levels varied on different equipment or facilities depending on age, gender, companions and supervision.

Results showed girls were less likely to engage in rigorous activity, and ball courts and formal programs positively affected children’s activity. Researchers also found hovering, overprotective parents a hindrance to the activity of children’s play.

 ”In many situations, in public parks where you’ve got a playground, it’s really not designed to help adults feel comfortable, so the adults tend to stand around feeling kind of bored,” Robin Moore, professor of Landscape Architecture, said. Moore is also director of the Natural Learning Initiative at the University and Floyd’s co-principle investigator.

The researchers hope park planners will use the results of the study to provide not only facilities for children that encourage activity, but also comfortable, safe places for parents where they can supervise without inhibiting a child’s ability to exercise.

Jason Bocarro , associate professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, said the study is needed because the medical field alone hasn’t successfully encouraged exercise despite promises of better health.

“It takes more than just diet and exercise,” Timia Thompson, doctoral student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management and one of the study’s trained observers, said. “The average individual does not like traditional exercise. “

Nilda Cosco , investigator, research associate professor and education specialist for the Natural Learning Initiative, said many more disciplines remain to be fully utilized in childhood obesity including landscape design, psychology and even economics.

 ”The economic side of the problem is not that well explored and it is very critical because the health care costs for a person who is obese are rocketing because they need a lot of help,” Cosco said.

Cosco said all sides need to work together to make a true difference.

“Obesity is such a complex and multifaceted problem that we need to look at all the sides of the problem and in a way, attack them all at once. We need to have [cooperation], because that is one of the challenges of this problem,” Cosco said. “We need to work together. “