How Can Neighborhood Parks Be Used to Increase Physical Activity?

Abstract

Parks play an important role in providing venues for physical activity in urban areas but tend to be underutilized, especially for moderate to vigorous physical activity.• Research underscores the need to target efforts to increase park-based physical activity to specific populations.• There are numerous differences in how parks are used among different racial and ethnic groups, different genders, and different age groups.• Park facilities by themselves are not sufficient to attract users; many sit unused or underused, even after recent renovations. On-site marketing and supervised activities are the top two park features that encourage greater use of parks for physical activity. Marketing efforts are likely to be especially important in low-income neighborhoods.• The majority of park facilities are geared toward youths, while fewer facilities tend to target groups who are underrepresented among those using parks for moderate to vigorous physical activity-adults and especially seniors.• Investments to encourage physical activity will not be made without the support of local park managers.Neighborhood parks are financed on the local level, and local park managers are best positioned to understand the needs of their local populations.

Placement of Outdoor Exercise Equipment and Physical Activity: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Two Parks in Southern California

“…This finding is consistent with our earlier study in Garden Grove's Eastgate Park, where users had 40% higher odds of more vigorous activity after the installation of OEE [12]. The new data are also consistent with numerous prior studies of the role of public parks in promoting physical activity for different subpopulations [32][33][34]. Our results advance the state of increasing evidence that OEE is positively correlated with increased activity levels in parks, through data suggesting that this influence occurs regardless of whether the equipment is placed in a specific area of the park or spread throughout the park along a walking path.…”

An Observational Study of Park Attributes and Physical Activity in Neighborhood Parks of Shanghai, China

“…In this Chinese sample, the findings demonstrate behavior mapping is a promising tool to measure park-based physical activity. As this study associated the levels of use with the landscape features, the results are expected to be useful in design practice for promoting regular physical activity.Numerous studies have shown neighborhood parks provide ideal places for physical activity [19], emphasizing that the presence of or access to nearby nature can contribute to mental and physical health [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Compared with the large number of studies examining the influence of neighborhood-built environment on park usage [26,27], especially the proximity to a park and the surrounding communities [28][29][30], few studies have focused on the specific design features that may influence the park use and the occurrence of physical activity [31].Evidence shows that park attributes are related to park usage, that is, a large size, the quality of facilities, organized activities, and good maintenance can promote overall park use [31][32][33].…”

“…Numerous studies have shown neighborhood parks provide ideal places for physical activity [19], emphasizing that the presence of or access to nearby nature can contribute to mental and physical health [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Compared with the large number of studies examining the influence of neighborhood-built environment on park usage [26,27], especially the proximity to a park and the surrounding communities [28][29][30], few studies have focused on the specific design features that may influence the park use and the occurrence of physical activity [31].…”

User's experience of neighborhood parks in Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

“…Even though there is only a little difference between men and women in the frequency of visiting neighborhood parks, the younger respondents (those aged 40 and below) of both sexes appear to visit neighborhood parks regularly than older people (those aged above 40). However, Cohen and Leuschner (2018) stated that kids and teens, boys and neighborhoods with low-poverty areas use the neighborhood park the most (see Table 2).…”