One way to increase physical activity opportunities is to increase access to recreational facilities.
Historically, schools have had a variety of recreational facilities, such as gymnasiums, playgrounds, fields, courts, and tracks. However, most of these schools close their property to the public during non-school hours, such as weekends, holidays, summer break, and before and after school, because of concerns about costs, vandalism, security, maintenance, and liability in the event of injury. Luckily, shared use (or joint use) agreements have become a popular strategy for addressing these concerns while also creating built environment policies that encourage partnerships and support healthy lifestyles.
