scholarly journals Decoding the Street-Based Spatiality of Urban Gyms: Implications for Healthy City Planning

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Ying Jing ◽  
Ding Ma ◽  
Yaolin Liu ◽  
Jiaxing Cui ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
...  

Many cities face health issues that result from ineffective urban planning strategies. The chances of doing exercises in sportive venues implicate public health and citizen quality of life. With the advent of the geo-big data era, it is crucial to explore the spatial pattern of sports facilities to reflect urban health issues. This study aims to decode the street-based spatiality of gyms (one prevailing type of sportive venues) from a comprehensive perspective by both geometric methods (i.e., segment streets) and topological analytics in the context of complexity science (i.e., complex network derived from the topology of natural streets). We found that: (1) gyms are spatially clustered and distributed unevenly; (2) community-to-gym walkability fits the power-law with a heavy-tailed distribution at the 10-min and 20-min temporal scales; (3) the model for the street connectivity and the multi-distance reachability of gyms is with high polynomial fitting goodness. This article is conducive to strategies-making of healthy city planning and the further optimization of urban spatial structure.

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. A483
Author(s):  
L. Lewis ◽  
M. Taylor ◽  
S. Roberts

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 96-96
Author(s):  
Victoria Raveis ◽  
Simona Kwon

Abstract Women have a 1-in-8 lifetime risk of breast cancer. Earlier diagnosis and treatment advances have improved 15- and 20-year survival rates. Increased survival can mean coping with the effects of cancer and its treatment over an extended period of time, while experiencing age-related changes in functioning and the emergence of other health issues. To explore breast cancer survivors’ perspectives on their issues and concerns across the life-course, focus groups were conducted with a culturally diverse sample (N=18) of survivors (72% white, 28% Black, 11% Hispanic). Participants were 44-82 years old. Most, 83% were 50 and older, 56% were 60 and older. The majority (83%) were diagnosed in their 40’s and 50’s. Two were diagnosed in their early 30’s and one at age 68. Participants reaffirmed the necessity, as a breast cancer survivor, of being a life-long health advocate on their own behalf, and the importance of being self-informed. As one woman commented: “Knowledge is power”. Survivors shared that their emergent health issues were complicated by their cancer history, and, that, as a cancer survivor, “I never stop worrying”. A widespread concern was not knowing if the health issues and co-morbidities they experienced (such as joint pain, neuropathy, tendinitis, heart disease), were age-related, a consequence of their cancer, or a late treatment effect. An overriding sentiment expressed was that clinicians have not recognized the importance of quality of life in cancer survival. As a survivor succinctly stated: “We are living longer, but we need to live long with quality of life.”


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2398
Author(s):  
Asterios Leonidis ◽  
Maria Korozi ◽  
Eirini Sykianaki ◽  
Eleni Tsolakou ◽  
Vasilios Kouroumalis ◽  
...  

High stress levels and sleep deprivation may cause several mental or physical health issues, such as depression, impaired memory, decreased motivation, obesity, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented changes in our lives, generating significant stress, and worries about health, social isolation, employment, and finances. To this end, nowadays more than ever, it is crucial to deliver solutions that can help people to manage and control their stress, as well as to reduce sleep disturbances, so as to improve their health and overall quality of life. Technology, and in particular Ambient Intelligence Environments, can help towards that direction, when considering that they are able to understand the needs of their users, identify their behavior, learn their preferences, and act and react in their interest. This work presents two systems that have been designed and developed in the context of an Intelligent Home, namely CaLmi and HypnOS, which aim to assist users that struggle with stress and poor sleep quality, respectively. Both of the systems rely on real-time data collected by wearable devices, as well as contextual information retrieved from the ambient facilities of the Intelligent Home, so as to offer appropriate pervasive relaxation programs (CaLmi) or provide personalized insights regarding sleep hygiene (HypnOS) to the residents. This article will describe the design process that was followed, the functionality of both systems, the results of the user studies that were conducted for the evaluation of their end-user applications, and a discussion about future plans.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Simonsen ◽  
Anne M. Koponen ◽  
Sakari Suominen

Abstract Background Rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), also among younger adults, constitutes a growing public health challenge. According to the person-centred Chronic Care Model, proactive care and self-management support in combination with community resources enhance quality of healthcare and health outcomes for patients with T2D. However, research is scarce concerning the importance of person-centred care and community resources for such outcomes as empowerment, and the relative impact of various patient support sources for empowerment is not known. Moreover, little is known about the association of age with these variables in this patient-group. This study, carried out among patients with T2D, examined in three age-groups (27–54, 55–64 and 65–75 years) whether person-centred care and diabetes-related social support, including community support and possibilities to influence community health issues, are associated with patient empowerment, when considering possible confounding factors, such as other quality of care indicators and psychosocial wellbeing. We also explored age differentials in empowerment and in the proposed correlates of empowerment. Method Individuals from a register-based sample with T2D participated in a cross-sectional survey (participation 56%, n = 2866). Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Respondents in the youngest age-group were more likely to have low empowerment scores, less continuity of care, and lower wellbeing than the other age-groups, and to perceive less social support, but a higher level of person-centred care than the oldest group. Community support, including possibilities to influence community health issues, was independently and consistently associated with high empowerment in all three age-groups, as was person-centred care in the two older age-groups. Community support was the social support variable with the strongest association with empowerment across age-groups. Moreover, vitality was positively and diabetes-related distress negatively associated with high empowerment in all age-groups, whereas continuity of care, i.e. having a family/regular nurse, was independently associated in the youngest age-group only. Conclusion Person-centred care and community support, including possibilities to influence community health issues, supports empowerment among adults with T2D. Findings suggest that age is related to most correlates of empowerment, and that younger adults with T2D have specific healthcare needs.


Author(s):  
B.L. Radhakrishnan ◽  
E. Kirubakaran ◽  
R.V. Belfin ◽  
Sudhakar Selvam ◽  
K. Martin Sagayam ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arinah Rozhan ◽  
Yunos, M. Y. M. ◽  
Md Azree Othuman Mydin ◽  
Nor Kalsum Mohd Isa ◽  
Noor Fazamimah Mohd Ariffin ◽  
...  

The upsetting number of crime occurring in the cities evokes the fear of crime among the civilians. In order to provide a good quality of living environment, a safe city planning must be implemented. To achieve this, several safe city concepts are reviewed. This paper aim to study several safe city concepts done by other researchers. In order to search for the best safe city concepts, a qualitative method research which involves content analysis is the most suitable approach to be employed in this study. This research will develop a new safe city conceptual framework based on the synergy of the previous studies. It is noted that the main concept of safe city planning are the activities and proposition of land use planning, identification of hot spot crime areas, improvement of physical environment and public transport system and appropriate surveillance. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 799-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda van Heezik ◽  
Claire Freeman ◽  
Yvette Buttery ◽  
Debra L. Waters

Nature interaction is seen as a potentially inexpensive intervention to address many health issues. Aging is associated with declining health and mobility. Older people are known to benefit from nature contact; however, less is known about how aging limits access to nature. We investigated older adults occupying family, downsized, and rest homes to determine factors driving changes in nature engagement, and the quality of available nature. Less time was spent in natural places as people aged, depending on the extent of nature connectedness, frailty status, home type, and whether they lived alone or not. Most reported reduced nature engagement and expressed feelings of sadness, frustration, and anger. Gardens assumed an important role in enabling nature contact to continue, in that time spent in gardens was unrelated to age or frailty. Garden variability meant the quality of the nature experience was likely lower for those living in downsized and rest homes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Seyedehelham Sadatiseyedmahalleh ◽  
Suraiyati Rahman ◽  
Badaruddin Mohamed

<p>Small islands are seen as iconic destinations for ecotourism due to their rich natural biodiversity and spectacular surroundings. Malaysia has a substantial number of islands, numbering approximately 878 islands. Pangkor Island is a popular destination among domestic and international tourists alike. However, the tourism industry can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, tourism development can improve quality of life and economic prospects of local communities; and on the other hand, it may inflict to destruction on the island’s sensitive ecosystem. Natural environment is the core attraction for Pangkor Island. However, the extensive development undertaken to match the high intensity of tourist arrivals can lead to deleterious effect on the natural environment and diminish the overall quality of the tourists’ experience. This paper attempts to explore the dichotomy between ecotourism concept and tourism development in Pangkor by exploring protection strategies and ecotourism management approaches in relation to Pangkor Island. The findings described in this paper are based on an evaluation of the existing planning strategies concerning tourism development, environmental conservation, observation and interviews with visitors in Pangkor Island. Lack of environmental practice among tour operators has led to significant threat to the island’s ecosystem. Consequently, Pangkor Island require imperative attention in ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystem. Planning and development strategies for managing Pangkor and adjacent smaller islands need to be taken into consideration by acknowledging baseline conditions and present day realities.</p>


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