to connect people to parks. D.C. Park
RX has mapped and reviewed 354
area parks to help physicians and
parents discover nearby nature and
reap the health benefits of spending
time outdoors.

more likely to be depressed, anxious,
overweight or see your blood pressure
go up. It’s all interrelated. We’ve lost a
lot of common sense on this issue–we
don’t really see what’s happening to
us until we don’t feel well.

I recently asked Dr. Zarr about his
program: Q: What does it mean that you
write “park prescriptions” for your
pediatric patients?
A: For example, I asked two brothers
with significant weight gains about
their daily routine and how many
times they’d gone to a park in the past
week. They walked through one on
the way home. I asked their mom if
they could stop and spend 20 minutes
to play. She agreed, and I gave them
Q: Why is too much indoor time a
problem? A: Spending too much time indoors
is a problem for people of any income
or any age in the sense that we have a
pull to technology and use it indoors,
while sedentary and while eating…
we’re all doing that. On average,
87-95 percent of our time is spent
indoors across the board, regardless
of income.

most people. Most of us have shoes,
a hat and clothes, and that’s all it
takes, and maybe a bottle of water.

A lot of people like the social aspect
of walking. Going for a walk before
or after dinner or having a picnic are
options for a lot of people–both high
and low income families can do it.

Q: How can we make walks
interesting for kids?
A: Think about paying attention to the
life around you and identifying the
plants and animals where you live.

Online Resources for Outdoor Fun
Q: What tips do you have for getting
our families outside more often?
A: Know the parks nearest your
work, school and home. We have over
350 parks in D.C., and I have some
favorites. But don’t try to find the
perfect park five miles away when
there’s a good one three blocks away.

Convenience is most important. Think
about your life and make tweaks to
get more time outdoors. Is it possible
to eat outside, take a different route
to school, walk to work or pick up
the baguette at the neighborhood
store instead of driving? Just being
outdoors is the point—you don’t have
to go somewhere that’s “the best!”
Q: What are the potential health
consequences for us and our children
if we’re not spending time in parks?
A: Parks are not just a place to take
a break. We should think of them as
an essential part of our health. People
haven’t figured out why we have
increased, restored attention after
being in nature, but it’s true. After
you go for a walk, you feel more
focused and can concentrate more. It
decreases stress. Mental health is more
important in some ways than physical
health. If you’re stressed, you’re
may be the first and easiest step for
• About 300 doctors and medical
providers in the area serving 200,000
patients have access to the Parks RX
database in their electronic health
records, but local families can use it too.

Browse the site by zip code for photos,
suggested activities and details about
local park amenities, such as bathrooms
and drinking fountains. Information
also includes a report card on park
cleanliness and accessibility. www.

aapdc.org/prx/ • Author and activist, Richard Louv,
coined the term “Nature Deficit
Disorder” and wrote Last Child in
the Woods; the now-classic defense
of outdoor recreation. His new book,
Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a
Nature Rich Life provides 500 “smart,
fun, and effective ways to engage
with the natural world.”
a goal of playing there three days a
week. I put that goal in their chart and
wrote them a prescription. If a patient
needs to be active outdoors more,
and a prescription is what it takes to
have them take it seriously, I’ll write a
prescription! Q: If a family agrees they need to
spend more time outdoors, where do
you recommend they start?
A: Keep it simple. Going for a walk
http://richardlouv.com
• Kids in Parks/ Track Trails partners
with national parks to create outdoor
scavenger hunts for kids on existing
trails. There are dozens of exciting
adventures in D.C., Maryland and
Virginia. www.kidsinparks.com
• Dr. Zarr is a fan of the Surgeon
General’s Step It Up! program, which
encourages walking for all ages. Learn
more about the call to action here:
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/ walking-and-walkable-communities
• Bring your children on a National
Geographic BioBlitz and help scientists
count the plants, animals, fungi and
other organisms that live in your
area. Register as a public participant
and find out more about tours and
taking inventories here: http://
nationalgeographic.org/projects/ It can go a long way. The garden in
our yard has been a godsend for me.

Yesterday I noticed two birds building
a nest on our porch and watched them
for a while. Observing nature is pretty
neat and slows us down, helps us
focus and makes us happy.

Meredith Baker is an educator, writer,
author of The Richmond Theater Fire
and mom to three Capitol Hill kids.

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