scholarly journals Examining the Relationship between Park Neighborhoods, Features, Cleanliness, and Condition with Observed Weekday Park Usage and Physical Activity: A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Hamilton ◽  
Andrew T. Kaczynski ◽  
Melissa L. Fair ◽  
Lucie Lévesque
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Direct Observation ◽  
Urban Parks ◽  
Neighborhood Context ◽  
Type Condition ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Neighborhood Type

Background. Little research has comprehensively explored how park features, quality indicators, and neighborhood environments are associated with observed park usage and physical activity (PA). This case study examined whether weekday park usage and PA differ by neighborhood type, across numerous categories of park features, and according to park feature condition and cleanliness.Methods. Direct observation was used to capture the number of users and PA levels within 143 park features in 6 parks (3 urban, 3 suburban) over the course of six weeks. Audits of park environments assessed the type, condition, and cleanliness of all features and amenities.Results. Urban parks experienced greater usage, but a higher proportion of sedentary users than suburban parks. Usage and PA levels differed across types of park features, with splash pads, pools, paths, and play structures having the greatest proportion of active users. Usage did not differ by park feature condition and cleanliness, but greater condition and cleanliness were generally associated with higher PA levels.Conclusions. Factors such as neighborhood context, types of park features, and condition and cleanliness can impact park usage and PA levels and should be targets for researchers and planners aiming to foster more user-friendly and active neighborhood park environments.

scholarly journals RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUALITY OF URBAN PARKS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A CASE STUDY IN CHANGKAT PUBLIC PARK, BATU GAJAH, PERAK

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamirah Rosli ◽  
Oliver Hoon Leh Ling ◽  
Nurhazlin Amira Mohd Adzmi ◽  
Marlyana Azzyati Marzukhi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Urban Parks ◽  
Urban Park ◽  
Statistical Relationship ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Recreation Areas ◽  
Park Quality

Nowadays, people, especially urban dwellers were not active. Physical inactivity will lead to an unhealthy body. Previous research found that physical activity will contribute to a healthy life. Based on the previous research, high-quality recreation areas, including urban parks and playgrounds can provide a wide variety of opportunities for physical activity and have the potential to help community in leading a more active lifestyle. However, the statistical relationship between the quality of urban parks and physical activity is yet to be examined, especially for Malaysia. Due to the gap, a study was conducted in Changkat Public Park (Taman Awam Changkat), Batu Gajah, Perak Darul Ridzuan with the aim to examine the statistical relationship between quality of the urban park and physical activity. The park quality was evaluated based on five (5) aspects which were facilities and amenities, accessibility, informative (signage), safety, as well as attraction. Pertaining to physical activity, this study focussed on time allocation, as well as frequency and type of activity of the park visitors. Data were obtained through a questionnaire survey among visitors. The relationship between urban park quality and physical activity in the study area was analysed using a correlation test. The study found that the quality of the park was moderately corrected to the active level of the respondents. As an implication, urban parks require serious concern by the designers and managers to uphold the quality for visitors.

scholarly journals Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles to Teenagers with Mobile Devices: A Case Study in Portugal

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 315
Author(s):  
María Vanessa Villasana ◽  
Ivan Miguel Pires ◽  
Juliana Sá ◽  
Nuno M. Garcia ◽  
Maria Canavarro Teixeira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthy Lifestyles ◽  
Physical Activity Monitoring ◽  
Active Lifestyles ◽  
The Relationship

Educating teenagers about nutrition and promoting active lifestyles is essential in reducing the long-term health risks and one idea to achieve this is by using mobile applications. Previous studies showed that the existing mobile applications have similar functionalities, such as intervention with questionnaires, and the use of gamification techniques to improve interactiveness. However, unlike our study, some studies are not validated and verified by healthcare professionals. Additionally, this study intends to promote the interaction between the teenagers and the medical communities. In this study, we analyze the benefits of the proposed mobile application, which features monitoring of physical activity, daily tips and curiosities, questionnaires, and gamification through earning points. Most of the teenagers were satisfied with the physical activity monitoring and found the tips, curiosities, and weekly questionnaires useful. The study started with 26 teenagers from two schools in the center of Portugal that would use the mobile application for five weeks. Still, at the end of the study, only 7 teenagers finalized the study. The decreasing number of teenagers in the study was affected by the lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic situation. During the period, the mobile application would engage the users with notifications on nutrition and physical activity, challenges concerning the number of steps and calories they would have to spend, and questionnaires related to the curiosities and suggestions from the previous week. We used Fisher’s test to investigate the relationship between the assessment obtained in the responses to the questionnaires, and the adoption of healthier eating and sports practices. In summary, participants were satisfied with the mobile application and experienced some improvements in diet and habits.

Assessing the Impact of Vegetation in the Visibility Connection and Thermal Comfort in the Urban Outdoors (Case Study: Shafagh Park)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Karimi ◽  
Darya Gachkar ◽  
Sadaf Gachkar ◽  
soheila aghlemand
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Urban Parks ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Favorable Conditions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Good Visibility

Abstract Regarding the significant impact of visibility, landscape, and thermal comfort on the presence of users’ attendance in urban parks, there is a severe interest in studies on the amount of visibility and the outdoor thermal comfort especially in a district with hot summers. this research, after investigating the shafagh park based on space laws and the relationship between park spaces with each other in terms of accessibility and visibility to achieve the effect of plants, then, based on the obtained data, the role of plants in evaluating thermal comfort conditions in the park space was investigated and finally, their relationship with each other has been examined. results have revealed that, plants have an undeniable role in improving the conditions of thermal comfort and visual visibility and user movement in spaces, so that, the best points in terms of thermal comfort, had a favorable view and perspective, while, areas of the park that did not have good visibility and landscape did not experience favorable conditions in terms of thermal comfort. Therefore, architects, landscape architects, and urban designers who research the problem of thermal comfort and landscape analysis in urban parks can use the findings of this article for effective outcomes, especially in parks with climatic conditions use similar in Tehran.

scholarly journals Youth Knowledge of Physical Activity Health Benefits: A Brazilian Case Study

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1713-1721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Gail Zieff ◽  
Claudia Maria Guedes ◽  
James Wiley
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Lifestyle Choices ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This study presents the findings of a questionnaire-based investigation of knowledge about the relationship of physical activity to health among adolescent participants of a community-based physical activity intervention program in São Paulo, Brazil. Qualitative (inductive content analysis) and quantitative methods were applied to examine the participants’ responses to two open-ended questions concerning the health benefits of physical activity and the educational goals of the intervention. More than 75% of all participants stated that health benefits (of some type) are attained through participation in physical activity. More than 50% of participants reported that the goal of the intervention was to educate people about the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle. Adolescents understand the relationship of physical activity to health as reflected in their knowledge assessments; their lifestyle choices support these beliefs. These findings offer encouragement for the development and implementation of educationally oriented interventions aimed at providing physical activity information and programming.

scholarly journals The Meaning of Physical Activity: A Qualitative Study on the Perspective of South American Immigrant Parents

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7500
Author(s):  
Romain Marconnot ◽  
Antonio Luis Marín-Rojas ◽  
Carmen Jiménez-Antona ◽  
Jorge Pérez-Corrales ◽  
Javier Güeita-Rodríguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Community Living ◽  
Immigrant Parents ◽  
South American ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Healthy Habits ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
American Immigrant ◽  
The Relationship

Physical activity facilitates the acquisition of healthy habits from childhood to adulthood. There are differences in the practice of physical activity between immigrant children and native Spanish children. The aim was to describe physical activity in children, from the perspective of South American immigrant parents. A qualitative case study was conducted. Parents were recruited using purposeful sampling. Data were collected from 12 participants by means of unstructured interviews together with researcher notes. A thematic analysis was applied. The following topics were identified: (a) physical activity and health, (b) socialization, (c) the need for movement, (d) gender, (e) barriers, (f) educational burden, (g) community living, and (h) reason for immigrating. Parents described how physical activity is fundamental and has benefits for health, and for the relationship between children. They perceived that physical activity should not be limited by gender. The time dedicated to other school activities, the norms related to community living, and financial limitations were especially relevant as barriers for the performance of physical activity. These results can be used to revise the curriculum in schools, promote equal opportunities for physical activity and support family participation.

scholarly journals Moderation Effect of Physical Activity on the Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19 and General Distress: A Pilot Case Study in Arabic Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tareq A. Alsalhe ◽  
Sulaiman O. Aljaloud ◽  
Nasr Chalghaf ◽  
Noomen Guelmami ◽  
Dallal W. Alhazza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
General Distress ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Knickzone Extraction Tool (KET) – A new ArcGIS toolset for automatic extraction of knickzones from a DEM based on multi-scale stream gradients

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuba Zahra ◽  
Uttam Paudel ◽  
Yuichi S. Hayakawa ◽  
Takashi Oguchi
Keyword(s):  
Require Time ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Landform Development ◽  
Elevation Model ◽  
Identification Techniques ◽  
Local Gradient ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractExtraction of knickpoints or knickzones from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) has gained immense significance owing to the increasing implications of knickzones on landform development. However, existing methods for knickzone extraction tend to be subjective or require time-intensive data processing. This paper describes the proposed Knickzone Extraction Tool (KET), a new raster-based Python script deployed in the form of an ArcGIS toolset that automates the process of knickzone extraction and is both fast and more user-friendly. The KET is based on multi-scale analysis of slope gradients along a river course, where any locally steep segment (knickzone) can be extracted as an anomalously high local gradient. We also conducted a comparative analysis of the KET and other contemporary knickzone identification techniques. The relationship between knickzone distribution and its morphometric characteristics are also examined through a case study of a mountainous watershed in Japan.

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