Community Health and Well-Being
Who We Are
The Community Health and Well-Being research group are committed to scientific and community-engaged scholarship that promotes equitable access to leisure and enjoyment of park and recreation services.
We view community health and well-being at a systems-level to include individual human health and the health of whole communities and environments.
Our work occurs in neighborhoods, camps, schools, homes, and in sport, recreation, and leisure venues. We use developmental, ecological, and social justice approaches to understand the causes and solutions to societal issues related to community health and well-being.
Our group comprises faculty at Penn State's University Park, Abington, and Greater Allegheny campuses, and our work intersects with other research groups across RPTM and Penn State.
Group Expertise
We work to understand and facilitate improvements in health and well-being for individuals, communities, and environments across numerous recreation contexts. Our research topics include:
- Local officials’ priorities and decisions regarding park and recreation funding/policies - Andrew Mowen
- Adolescent and young adult physical activity and out-of-school time programs - Jennifer Agans
- Justice-oriented activities in out-of-school time programs that promote and foster healthy development for all youth and their communities - Katrina Black Reed
- Strategies for leisure education and inclusion of people encountering barriers to leisure - John Dattilo
RPTM researchers are working with this project at three parks in Philadelphia to create spaces where people of all backgrounds can come together to share common experiences.
The Reimagining the Civic Commons project, launched in 2015, is investing in public spaces like parks to revitalize neighborhoods and deepen civic engagement.
Read more about Drs. Andrew Mowen and Jacob Benfield's research in Philadelphia parks, or contact specificemail@psu.edu with specific questions.
Future Directions and Implications
We conduct research that contributes to improved health and well-being for people, human communities, and the natural world. We contribute to a more socially just and sustainable world by demonstrating the interrelatedness of individual, environmental, and societal contributors to health and well-being.
Our Experts
Click below to learn more about our faculty and postdoctoral researchers or to see who our graduate students are.
Did you know that people without social connections have the same risk of death as someone who smokes 15 cigarettes a day? John Dattilo discusses how you can address loneliness in yourself and others through meaningful leisure activities and social interactions.