Building mutually beneficial partnerships to improve physical activity opportunities through shared-use efforts in under-resourced communities in Los Angeles County

•Participant school districts (> 50%) were willing to share school grounds/facilities.•Shared-use agreements varied in type and programmatic scope.•Agreements were tailored to address school concerns, including liability and costs.•Child and adult-oriented programming may increase community usage of shared space.

ObjectiveTo evaluate 18 shared-use agreements (SUAs) implemented in Los Angeles County during 2010–2012. SUAs opened school grounds and/or facilities in seven school districts to increase physical activity opportunities for under-resourced communities with high prevalence of obesity.MethodsWe reviewed the extent to which SUAs addressed school district concerns about cost responsibility, sustainability, and scope. A school site and community partner survey was conducted to inform planning and to facilitate comparisons of the types and range of legal clauses (up to 16) contained in the agreements. We used geographic information systems and 2010 United States Census data to estimate the population reached and the potential benefits of the SUAs.ResultsSUAs varied in the degree to which they addressed the three categories of concerns. Eight of the 18 agreements included 13 of the 16 legal clauses. We estimate that these SUAs have the potential to reach nearly 165,000 children (ages 5–19) and more than 500,000 adults (ages 20–64) at a cost of about $0.38 per community member reached.ConclusionSUAs that include legal clauses to address school concerns about factors such as vandalism, staffing and funding represent a promising strategy for increasing physical activity opportunities in under-resourced neighborhoods where the prevalence of obesity is high.