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Some doctors prescribe only medicine, but others like the pediatrician, Robert Zarr, MD, in Washington, D.C. are prescribing nature to children as a way to prevent obesity and to address a nature deficit disorder.
In a blog from the Children and Nature Network, Dr. Zarr said he noticed that too many of his patients weren’t getting outside like they should.
Fortunately through a collaboration of several healthcare providers, private foundations,and partners like the National Park Service, the DC Department of Health, US Health and Human Services, NEEF, GW University, and AAP, Zarr and his colleagues launched the DC Park Prescription Program (DC Park Rx).
Within four months, Zarr had handed out over 400 park prescriptions and some of his colleagues have reported positive changes in the health and lifestyle of patients who have participated in the program.
As part of the effort to get kids out to parks, the Park Rx team has created a database of 350 clean and safe parks throughout the DC area. The parks database can be linked to electronic medical records (EMR) which match parks to patients by zip code.
Latino kids are less likely to meet the recommended guidelines for 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity. Therefore, initiatives like DC Park Rx serve as an important way of boosting activity levels.
To learn more about this initiative read “WHY I PRESCRIBE NATURE” — In D.C., Pioneering Pediatricians Offer New Hope and Health Through Park Rx.
Check out ‘Let nature take its course to improve your health’ for more on some of the benefits of the outdoors.
Learn more about Latino kids and physical activity here.
By The Numbers
33
percent
of Latinos live within walking distance (<1 mile) of a park
