Designing parks for older adults: A qualitative study using walk-along interviews

Veitch, Jenny; Flowers, Elliott; Ball, Kylie; Deforche, Benedicte; Timperio, Anna

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126768

Cited by 67 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, a few also discussed the value of park-based exercise equipment. These findings agree with Veitch et al [ 26 ] who found that three core elements (paths, park-based group exercise and exercise equipment) facilitated physical activity. While New Zealand largely has a temperate climate, it can experience −10 degrees Celsius in winter and sub-tropical temperatures in Summer.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…A previous study including individuals with disability, found that safety, ease of accessibility and observable maintenance were considered important components for park facilities [ 62 ]. Therefore, while older adults may value specific features for physical activity, other features were more important for social connection [ 26 ]. The results from our study are more in line with Kaczynski et al [ 63 ] who found that parks with more facilities/amenities are preferred by older adults, compared to parks with more appealing environments but fewer amenities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, early studies exploring park use with older adults, found that half of older adult participants reported being in a better mood after doing light-moderate exercise in a park [ 24 ], with use of parks and green spaces improving social integration and strengthening social ties, which are predictors of wellbeing and longevity in this age group [ 25 ]. More recently, Veitch et al [ 26 ] reported that older adults value parks for walking, sitting/relaxing, enjoying nature and socializing with others. Furthermore, Sales et al [ 27 ] reported that older adults who participated in a novel exercise program in a park designed specifically for older adults enjoyed the program and reported improved physical and psychological benefits, along with improved ability to undertake activities of daily living.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

“Enticing” but Not Necessarily a “Space Designed for Me”: Experiences of Urban Park Use by Older Adults with Disability

Perry

Cotes

Horton

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban parks are spaces that can enhance older adults’ physical, social and psychological wellbeing. As the prevalence of older adults with disability increases, it is important that urban parks are accessible to this population so that they too might gain health benefits. There is limited literature investigating the experiences of urban parks by older adults with disability. This qualitative study, set in a region of New Zealand, explored the experiences, including accessibility, of urban parks by 17 older adults (55 years and older) with self-reported disabilities. Three focus groups (n = 4, 5 and 4 people) and four individual interviews were undertaken. Data were analyzed using the General Inductive Approach. Two primary themes of “Enticing” and “Park use considerations” are presented. Urban parks and green spaces are perceived to provide an environment for older adults with a disability to improve their physical, psychosocial and spiritual health, and social connectedness. Parks that are not age, ability or culture diverse are uninviting and exclusive. Meaningful collaboration between park designers, city councils and people with disability is required to maximize the public health benefits of parks and make parks inviting and accessible for users of all ages, cultures and abilities. Park co-design with people with disability may provide one means of improving accessibility and park usability and thus park participation by older adults with disability.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

“Enticing” but Not Necessarily a “Space Designed for Me”: Experiences of Urban Park Use by Older Adults with Disability

Perry

Cotes

Horton

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, two studies that also used ACBC analysis found the three most important drivers of preference for parks that would encourage park-based physical activity among adolescents were the presence of sports courts, grassy open space, and outdoor fitness equipment (under review) and among older adults were walking paths, shady trees, and a peaceful and relaxed setting (under review). This confirms the need to consider all age groups when planning parks; as well as inter-generational needs, as previous research has shown that a large percentage of older adults visit parks with their grandchildren [ 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Understanding children’s preference for park features that encourage physical activity: an adaptive choice based conjoint analysis

Veitch

Ball

Rivera

et al. 2021

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Parks are a key setting for physical activity for children. However, little is known about which park features children prefer and which features are most likely to encourage them to be active in parks. This study examined the relative importance of park features among children for influencing their choice of park for engaging in park-based physical activity. Methods Children (n = 252; 8-12 years, 42% male) attending three primary schools in Melbourne, Australia completed a survey at school. They were required to complete a series of Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint analysis tasks, with responses used to identify the part-worth utilities and relative importance scores of selected park features using Hierarchical Bayes analyses within Sawtooth Software. Results For the overall sample and both boys and girls, the most important driver of choice for a park that would encourage them to be active was presence of a flying fox (overall conjoint analysis relative importance score: 15.8%; 95%CI = 14.5, 17.1), followed by a playground (13.5%; 95%CI = 11.9, 15.2). For the overall sample, trees for climbing had the third highest importance score (10.2%; 95%CI = 8.9, 11.6); however, swings had 3rd highest importance for girls (11.1, 95%CI = 9.3, 12.9) and an obstacle course/parkour area had the 3rd highest importance score for boys (10.7, 95%CI = 9.0, 12.4). For features with two levels, part-worth utility scores showed that the presence of a feature was always preferred over the absence of a feature. For features with multiple levels, long flying foxes, large adventure playgrounds, lots of trees for climbing, large round swings, large climbing equipment, and large grassy open space were the preferred levels. Conclusion To ensure parks appeal as a setting that encourages children to engage in physical activity, park planners and local authorities and organisations involved in park design should prioritise the inclusion of a long flying fox, large adventure playgrounds, lots of trees for climbing, large round swings and obstacle courses/parkour areas.

show abstract

“…For policy reasons it may be useful in future analyses to also examine intervention effects stratified by specific observation conditions (e.g., sunny/cloudy, week day/weekend, time of day); and by the characteristics of the park visitors (e.g., age-group and sex). For example, a high proportion of children and young adults were using the parks at T1 and it would be interesting to identify whether the refurbishments attracted different age groups to use the parks to supplement other recent studies [ 45 , 46 ]. Moreover, if people perceived the refurbished parks to be more attractive for picnics and social gatherings than prior to refurbishment, we might expect to see high numbers of visitors at a given park on specific dates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Health-Related Effects of Refurbishment to Parks in a Lower Socioeconomic Area: The ShadePlus Natural Experiment

Dobbinson

Simmons

Chamberlain

et al. 2020

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Degraded parks in disadvantaged areas are underutilized for recreation, which may impact long-term health. Using a natural experiment, we examined the effects of local government refurbishments to parks (n = 3 intervention; n = 3 comparison) in low socioeconomic areas (LSEA) of Melbourne on park use, health behavior, social engagement and psychological well-being. Amenities promoting physical activity and sun protection included walking paths, playground equipment and built shade. Outcomes were measured via systematic observations, and self-report surveys of park visitors over three years. The refurbishments significantly increased park use, while shade use increased only in parks with shade sails. A trend for increased social engagement was also detected. Findings infer improvement of quality, number and type of amenities in degraded parks can substantially increase park use in LSEA. Findings support provision of shade over well-designed playgrounds in future park refurbishments to enhance engagement and sun protection behavior. Further research should identify park amenities to increase physical activity.

show abstract

Designing parks for older adults: A qualitative study using walk-along interviews

Cited by 67 publications

References 34 publications

“Enticing” but Not Necessarily a “Space Designed for Me”: Experiences of Urban Park Use by Older Adults with Disability

“Enticing” but Not Necessarily a “Space Designed for Me”: Experiences of Urban Park Use by Older Adults with Disability

Understanding children’s preference for park features that encourage physical activity: an adaptive choice based conjoint analysis

Examining Health-Related Effects of Refurbishment to Parks in a Lower Socioeconomic Area: The ShadePlus Natural Experiment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About