Grant: Project Grant

The World Health Organization has outlined a new vision for primary care that integrates public health measures to promote health and wellbeing and community engagement.1,2 These recommendations call for novel, 'whole-of-society' solutions for preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. In line with this vision, park prescriptions (whereby a health care provider gives a written recommendation for a person to visit a park or trail) are a highly promising and innovative intervention to reduce diabetes risk by promoting physical activity and wellbeing. Our team will identify components of a park prescription intervention that will effectively motivate people to use the vast network of parks, forests, lake- and river-front trails within their cities to engage in walking and other physical activities, particularly those from low-income and racialized communities, who stand to benefit most. To do so, we will first seek to understand barriers and facilitators of park use among urban populations at high risk of developing diabetes. Building on this knowledge, we will then co-design the core elements of a park prescription intervention in collaboration with patient partners, and with input from healthcare advisors and other key partners. Using innovative scientific methods and frameworks, we will test which elements of our park prescription intervention will optimally engage patients to spend time each week walking in parks and other natural settings. If successful, this research will transform diabetes prevention practices by offering a simple, effective, and sustainable solution to intervene early and support people at high risk of developing diabetes to become more physically active within their communities.