Rural and urban park visits and park-based physical activity (original) (raw)
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Youth and Adult Visitation and Physical Activity Intensity at Rural and Urban Parks
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2018
Less physical activity among rural residents may contribute to rural-urban health disparities. Parks can be ideal community resources for promoting physical activity. This study compared park visitation and activity intensity at 15 urban and 15 rural parks matched for acreage and amenities. Parks were observed in the morning, afternoon, and evening on 4 days to determine number of visitors, activity intensity, and amenity use. A total of 5486 visitors were observed with no differences in percentages of males (55.5% vs. 53.9%) and females (44.5% vs. 46.1%) or percentages of weekday (82.4% vs. 81.9%) and weekend (17.6% vs. 18.1%) visitors. The probability of visitors sitting was greater and in moderate intensity activity lower at rural parks. A greater proportion of children (25.0% vs. 14.5%) in rural parks, and teens in urban parks (8.0% vs. 69.6%), were observed on sport fields. A greater proportion of adults in urban areas (12.5% vs. 46.0%) were observed spectating sports. Greater ...
Park-Based Physical Activity in Diverse Communities of Two U.S. Cities An Observational Study
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Results: Seventy percent of Tampa and 51% of Chicago park users were observed engaged in sedentary behavior. In both cities, children were more likely than adults to be observed in walking or vigorous activity. In Tampa, parks located in neighborhoods with the highest concentration of Hispanic residents were associated with greatest levels of energy expen- diture. In Chicago, parks in
Contributions of Non-Urban State Parks to Youth Physical Activity: A Case Study in Northern Georgia
Journal of park and recreation administration, 2015
A growing body of research has documented positive relationships among youth physical activity levels and park use. However, most investigations to date have focused on municipal parks, and relatively little is known about the physical activity levels of racially and ethnically diverse populations of youth using different types of parks in nonurban settings. This exploratory case study addressed these research gaps by examining the influence of non-urban state parks on the physical activity of youth in northern Georgia, USA. Data were collected via intercept surveys of parents/guardians (who served as proxies and provided information about youth in their visitor group/family) visiting three state parks (n = 677, summer 2010) and nine park-proximate flea markets (n = 268, summer 2011). Flea markets were selected as a comparative study site to assess the relative contributions of state parks to youth physical activity because they provided unique access to large numbers of low-income...
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Background: Many characteristics of urban parks and neighbourhoods have been linked to patterns of physical activity, yet untangling these relationships to promote increased levels of physical activity presents methodological challenges. Based on qualitative and quantitative data, this article describes patterns of activity within urban parks and the socio-demographic characteristics of park visitors. It also accounts for these patterns in relation to the attributes of parks and their surrounding neighbourhoods.
Physical activity is often considered the responsibility of individuals. Recently, however, interest has developed in social ecological approaches that focus on a full spectrum of behavioral influences such as social and physical environments. A public park and recreation department has influence over some of the environmental and policy determinants of physical activity in a community. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory examination of one community was to analyze the perceptions of people regarding physical activity, and to interpret the results from a social ecological perspective regarding how public parks and recreation staff might further promote active lifestyles. Data came from six focus groups conducted during April-June 1999 in a community in the Southeast United States. The six groups included a women's walking group, teachers and school employees, YMCA members and employees, a Chamber of Commerce business group, a Community Coalition for Physical Activity grou...
The association between park facilities and the occurrence of physical activity during park visits
Journal of Leisure Research, 2018
Prior research has found a positive relationship between the variety of park facilities and parkbased physical activity (PA), but has not provided an estimate of the effect that additional different PA facilities have on whether an individual is active during a park visit. Using objective measures of park visits and PA from an urban sample of 225 adults in King County, Washington, we compared the variety of PA facilities in parks visited where an individual was active to PA facilities in parks where the same individual was sedentary. Each additional different PA facility at a park was associated with a 6% increased probability of being active during a visit. Adding additional different PA facilities to a park appears to have a moderate effect on whether an individual is active during a park visit, which could translate into large community health impacts when scaled up to multiple park visitors.