A systematic review about the characteristics and patterns of use of outdoor gyms

Abstract

The outdoor gyms have risen exponentially during the last years as a way of revitalizing public areas to enhance the practice of physical activity by insufficiently active older people. However, little is known about their use patterns that might help to maximize its benefits. To know the outdoor gyms profile, an exhaustive scientific literature review was made on research databases (WOS, Scopus, SportDiscus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library Plus, PubMed, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, and Google Scholar). Only 24 studies met the selection criteria of the 17,035 gathered. In general, outdoor gyms were used 3-5 days per week. They are 10-20 min away from users' home and distance was between 500 and 2007 m. Most activities on outdoor gyms were a supplement of other main PA. More rigorous study designs (intervention programs) are needed. It is necessary to operate in a community setting with local government. Current studies have indicated the existence of potential safety risks due to inappropriate usage behaviours. The most demanded improvements were more instructors, benches, variety devices, small roofs over the equipment, toilets, maintenance, lighting the area, security city guards, better promotion and placing information signs. The average number of devices per outdoor gym was 4,6. The dimensions were between 100-200 m 2 .

Perfil dos frequentadores e padrão de utilização das academias ao ar livre: revisão de escopo

“…Em relação ao padrão de utilização das AAL, a presente síntese corrobora a evidência de uma revisão prévia, constituída por evidências internacionais, que destaca a frequência entre três e cinco dias por semana 36 . Complementarmente, esta mesma revisão 36 também traz outras evidências de interesse, como, em relação à distância das AAL das residências dos seus frequentadores (500-2.007 metros), que, de alguma forma pode estar relacionada à opção (e possibilidade) pelo trans-porte ativo para sua utilização 17,21,27 e o risco de lesões, pela utilização inadequada das estruturas e/ou falta de orientação. Mesmo que alguns dos projetos tenham abordado estas temáticas 13,14,20 e até mesmo a investigação dos motivos de não-utilização entre as pessoas que moram próximas as AAL 13,14 , não se atingiu o número estipulado para sua apresentação na síntese.…”

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Outdoor Fitness Equipment Intervention in Achieving Fitness Goals for Seniors

“…Many parks worldwide installed outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) in parks/open spaces to attract people [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. OFE, or outdoor gyms, fitness zone, have become popular in numerous green spaces and built environments [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”