92% of attendees feel safe at long-running L.A. County parks program

Key takeawaysParks After Dark began at three Los Angeles County Parks in 2010, in part to help reduce violence and encourage physical activity. It has expanded to 34 parks.A survey of attendees from 2022 found that 92% felt safe at the events, and 94% agreed that the program gave them the chance to spend quality time with their families.UCLA researchers concluded that, over the course of the program, 189 fewer crimes have been committed in the neighborhoods hosting the events than could have been expected to occur otherwise.Leer en espa ñol.Ninety-two percent of people who attended a nighttime events program in Los Angeles County parks in the summer of 2022 felt safe, according to a new evaluation by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.The program, Parks After Dark, was launched in three parks in 2010 and has since expanded to 34 locations, primarily in neighborhoods with higher-than-average rates of violence, economic hardship and obesity. (After a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the events returned in 2022 and are continuing this summer.)“Parks After Dark provides crucial recreational programming in Los Angeles County parks in a safe environment,” said Nadereh Pourat, director of the Center for Health Policy Research’s Health Economics and Evaluation Research Program, and the report’s lead author. “It’s an opportunity to enjoy free outdoor activities and exercise, spend time with family and experience the beauty of nature without fear of vi...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news