Trends of physical activity and recreational screen time among Chinese children and adolescents: a national study from 2017 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior among children and adolescents is a growing public health concern. This study aims to examine the trends in Physical Activity (PA) and Recreational Screen Time (RST) amongst children and adolescents in China, considering variations in genders, school levels, areas (urban versus rural), and regions (north versus south). The findings provide a foundation to guide policy and strategy making for future health promotion and development. METHODS: An annual national cross-sectional survey was conducted in China from 2017 to 2019 cumulatively involving 52,503 (48% female) children and adolescents from grades 4 to 12 (aged 12.72 ± 2.12). Data on PA and RST were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Weighted least squares regression was used to analyze the trends and differences in PA and RST among the participants' profiles. RESULTS: There was an annual decreased in PA compliance rate of approximately 3.43% (95% CI: 0.79-6.08%) for primary school students, primarily among males residing in rural areas, and in northern regions. Middle school students experienced a yearly decrease of about 5.23% (95% CI: 2.55-7.92%) in PA compliance across all genders, regions, and urban areas. Similarly, the RST compliance rates for primary school students declined by approximately 3.18% (95% CI: 1.57-4.78%) annually for all genders and areas, but only in the northern regions. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights a downward trend in PA and RST compliance amongst Chinese children and adolescents, with variations based on school level, gender, area, and region. Urgent policies and interventions are imperative to promote PA while mitigating excessive RST within these populations.

Built and natural environment correlates of physical activity of adults living in rural areas: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: According to social-ecological models, the built and natural environment has the potential to facilitate or hinder physical activity (PA). While this potential is well researched in urban areas, a current systematic review of how the built and natural environment is related to PA in rural areas is lacking. METHODS: We searched five databases and included studies for adults (18-65 years) living in rural areas. We included quantitative studies investigating the association between any self-reported or objectively measured characteristic of the built or natural environment and any type of self-reported or objectively measured PA, and qualitative studies that reported on features of the built or natural environment perceived as barriers to or facilitators of PA by the participants. Screening for eligibility and quality assessment (using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields) were done in duplicate. We used a narrative approach to synthesize the results. RESULTS: Of 2432 non-duplicate records, 51 quantitative and 19 qualitative studies were included. Convincing positive relationships were found between the availability and accessibility of places for exercise and recreation and leisure-time PA as well as between the overall environment and leisure-time PA. Possible positive associations were found between the overall environment and total and transport-related PA, between greenness/natural environment and total PA, between cycling infrastructure and aesthetics and MVPA, and between pedestrian infrastructure and total walking. A possible negative relationship was found between safety and security and total walking. Qualitative studies complemented several environmental facilitators (facilities for exercise and recreation, sidewalks or streets with low traffic, attractive natural environment) and barriers (lack of facilities and destinations, lack of sidewalks, speeding traffic and high traffic volumes, lack of street lighting). CONCLUSIONS: Research investigating the relationship between the built and natural environment and PA behaviors of adults living in rural areas is still limited and there is a need for more high-quality and longitudinal studies. However, our most positive findings indicate that investing in places for exercise and recreation, a safe infrastructure for active transport, and nature-based activities are possible strategies that should be considered to address low levels of PA in rural adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42021283508.

Food deserts exposure, density of fast-food restaurants, and park access: Exploring the association of food and recreation environments with obesity and diabetes using global and local regression models.

To prevent obesity and diabetes environmental interventions such as eliminating food deserts, restricting proliferation of food swamps, and improving park access are essential. In the United States, however, studies that examine the food and park access relationship with obesity and diabetes using both global and local regression are lacking. To guide county, state, and federal policy in combating obesity and diabetes, there is a need for cross-scale analyses to identify that relationship at national and local levels. This study applied spatial regression and geographically weighted regression to the 3,108 counties in the contiguous United States. Global regression show food deserts exposure and density of fast-food restaurants have non-significant association with obesity and diabetes while park access has a significant inverse association with both diseases. Geographically weighted regression that takes into account spatial heterogeneity shows that, among southern states that show high prevalence of obesity and diabetes, Alabama and Mississippi stand out as having opportunity to improve park access. Results suggest food deserts exposure are positively associated with obesity and diabetes in counties close to Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee while density of fast-food restaurants show positive association with two diseases in counties of western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. These findings will help policymakers and public health agencies in determining which geographic areas need to be prioritized when implementing public interventions such as promoting healthy food access, limiting unhealthy food options, and increasing park access.

Identifying multilevel predictors of behavioral outcomes like park use: A comparison of conditional and marginal modeling approaches.

This study compared marginal and conditional modeling approaches for identifying individual, park and neighborhood park use predictors. Data were derived from the ParkIndex study, which occurred in 128 block groups in Brooklyn (New York), Seattle (Washington), Raleigh (North Carolina), and Greenville (South Carolina). Survey respondents (n = 320) indicated parks within one half-mile of their block group used within the past month. Parks (n = 263) were audited using the Community Park Audit Tool. Measures were collected at the individual (park visitation, physical activity, sociodemographic characteristics), park (distance, quality, size), and block group (park count, population density, age structure, racial composition, walkability) levels. Generalized linear mixed models and generalized estimating equations were used. Ten-fold cross validation compared predictive performance of models. Conditional and marginal models identified common park use predictors: participant race, participant education, distance to parks, park quality, and population >65yrs. Additionally, the conditional mode identified park size as a park use predictor. The conditional model exhibited superior predictive value compared to the marginal model, and they exhibited similar generalizability. Future research should consider conditional and marginal approaches for analyzing health behavior data and employ cross-validation techniques to identify instances where marginal models display superior or comparable performance.

Evaluation of ecotourism suitability based on AHP-GIS: Taking Xiaoxiangling area of the Giant Panda National Park and the surrounding communities as an example.

The primary goal of national parks is to protect ecological environment, but also with the functions of scientific research, education, and recreation. Aiming for the realization of universal sharing, we used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to construct an ecotourism suitability evaluation system by selecting four factors, including landscape resources, ecological environment carrying capacity, recreation utilization capacity and social condition, taking Xiaoxiangling area of Giant Panda National Park and the surrounding communities as an example. We evaluated the ecotourism suitability based on GIS, and conducted a questionnaire survey of tourists, to propose suggestions on the functional zoning in terms of ecotourism suitability and subjective choice preferences of tourists. The results showed that the ecotourism suitability of the evaluation area could be classified into five levels. The most suitable areas were located nearby the natural landscape resources and far away from the core conservation area, and the least suitable areas distributed at the edge of the core conservation area. According to the results of suitability analysis, the evaluation area was divided into suitable development area, moderate development area, and restricted development area. Combined with the tourist preferences, we divided the recreational activities in the evaluation area into seven activities, namely, ecotourism, eco-camping, science education, leisure vacation, agricultural and animal husbandry culture experience, eco-education, and mountain adventure. These findings could help provide suitable services for different tourists and offer reference for the ecotourism developmental planning of the Xiaoxiangling area of the Giant Panda National Park.

Social media influences National Park visitation.

Visitation to National Parks in the United States increased by more than 25% since 2010, rising from roughly 70 to 90 million annual visitors. Anecdotes suggest that this increase was driven by the advent of social media in the early-to-mid 2010s, generating a new form of exposure for parks, and has led to concerns about overcrowding and degradation of environmental quality. However, there is little empirical evidence on the role of social media in influencing recreation decisions. Here, I construct a dataset on social media exposure (SME) for each National Park and relate that exposure to changes in visitation over the last two decades. High SME parks see visitation increase by 16 to 22% relative to parks with less exposure, which comes with a concomitant increase in revenue. Low SME parks have no, or negative, changes in visitation. These estimates account for unobserved park heterogeneity and are based on an instrumental variables strategy that predicts exposure with a park's online popularity prior to the social media era. Additional analysis suggests that recent social media posts that include media attachments increase visitation, while posts with negative sentiment reduce visitation. These results provide insight for the National Park Service-which faces more than $22 billion in deferred maintenance costs and is considering policy options to manage demand-as well as for management of recreation on other public lands.

Social vulnerability and traumatic brain injury hospitalizations from sports and recreation among pediatric patients in the United States.

PURPOSE: This study examined the associations between individual as well as neighborhood social vulnerability and sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injury (SR-TBI) hospitalizations among pediatric patients in the U.S. METHODS: We obtained 2009, 2010 and 2011 hospitalization data in the U.S. from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, linked it to 2010 neighborhood social vulnerability index (SVI) data from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), and assigned U.S. hospitals to one of four SVI quartiles. SR-TBI outcomes studied include: odds of hospitalization, length of stay (LOS), and discharge to post-acute care (DTPAC). RESULTS: We found associations between race/ethnicity and all SR-TBI outcomes; however, sex, primary payer, and neighborhood overall SVI were only associated with LOS. Compared to White children, Native American children had almost three times higher odds of hospitalization for SR-TBI (OR: 2.82, 95% CI: 1.30, 6.14), 27% longer LOS (ß: 27.06, 95% CI: 16.56, 38.51), but 99.9% lower odds of DTPAC (OR: 0.001, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.01). Compared to children with private insurance, children with public insurance had 11% longer LOS (ß: 10.83, 95% CI: 8.65, 13.05). Hospitalization in neighborhood with higher overall SVI was associated with longer LOS (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that individual and neighborhood social vulnerability can have a significant impact on the health outcomes of children, especially in the context of SR-TBI.

A Mendelian randomization-based study of the causal relationship between leisure sedentary behavior and delirium.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is an acute or subacute change in mental status caused by various factors. We evaluated the causal relationship between leisure sedentary behaviors (LSBs) and delirium. METHODS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed to evaluate the causal relationship between sedentary behaviors (time spent watching television, time spent using computer, and time spent driving) and delirium. Statistical information for the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the traits of interest was obtained from independent consortia that focused on European populations. The dataset for LSBs was acquired from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising a substantial sample size: 437887 samples for time spent watching television, 360,895 for time spent using computer, and 310,555 for time spent driving. A GWAS with 1269 delirium cases and 209,487 controls was used to identify genetic variation underlying the time of LSBs. We used five complementary MR methods, including inverse variance weighted method (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode. RESULTS: Genetically predicted time spent watching television (odds ratio [OR]: 2.921, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.381-6.179) demonstrated significant association with delirium (P = 0.005), whereas no significant associations were observed between time spent using computer (OR: 0.556, 95 % CI: 0.246-1.257, P = 0.158) and time spent driving (OR: 1.747, 95 % CI: 0.09-3. 40, P = 0.713) and delirium. Sensitivity analyses supported a causal interpretation, with limited evidence of significant bias from genetic pleiotropy. Moreover, our MR assumptions appeared to be upheld, enhancing the credibility of our conclusions. LIMITATIONS: Larger sample sizes are needed to validate the findings of our study. CONCLUSION: Time spent watching television is a significant risk factor for delirium. Reducing television time may be an important intervention for those at higher risk of delirium.

Association between leisure sedentary behaviors and hypertension risk: A prospective cohort study and two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis in Europeans.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the potential causal relationship between domain-specific sedentary behaviors (including television watching, computer use, and driving) and hypertension risk in European populations. METHODS: Initially, we conducted a multivariable Cox regression analysis to evaluate the associations between domain-specific sedentary behaviors and the risk of developing hypertension using data from 261,829 hypertension-free participants in the UK Biobank. To validate the findings of observational analysis, we employed two-sample univariable mendelian randomization (UVMR) analysis utilizing summary statistics from genome-wide association study conducted on European populations. We then performed multivariable mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis to account for the influence of the risk factors for hypertension. RESULTS: In this prospective observational analysis, individuals who spent >3 h per day watching television had significantly higher risk of developing hypertension (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.20-1.29, P < 0.001) compared to those who watched television for 0-1 h per day. The mendelian randomization analysis provided consistent evidence for a causal relationship between prolonged television watching time and hypertension risk (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.25-1.69, P < 0.001; all PMVMR < 0.05) in both UVMR and MVMR results. No significant associations were found between computer use, driving behaviors and the risk of hypertension in either the observational or UVMR/MVMR analyses. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence for a causal effect specifically linking higher television watching time to an increased risk of hypertension and indicate the potential effectiveness of reducing television viewing time as a preventive measure to mitigate the risk of hypertension.

Unearthing Inequities in the Relationship between Multiple Sociodemographic Factors and Diverse Elements of Park Availability and Quality in a Major Southern Metropolitan Region.

Parks are critical components of healthy communities. This study explored neighborhood socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequalities in park access and quality in a large U.S. southeastern metropolitan region. A total of 241 block groups were examined, including 77 parks. For each block group, we obtained multiple sociodemographic indicators, including unemployment rate, education level, renter-occupied housing, poverty rate, and racial/ethnic minority composition. All parks were mapped using geographical information systems and audited via the Community Park Audit Tool to evaluate their features and quality. We analyzed seven diverse elements of park quality (transportation access, facility availability, facility quality, amenity availability, park aesthetics, park quality concerns, and neighborhood quality concerns), as well as an overall park quality score by calculating the mean for all parks within each block group. The mean percent of residents below 125% of the poverty level and the percentage of renter-occupied housing units were significantly higher among block groups with any parks in comparison to block groups with no parks. In addition, there were significant positive associations between park transportation access scores and both the percentage of residents with less than high school education and the percent identifying as non-Hispanic white. Moreover, there was a significant negative association between park amenity availability and the block group's unemployed population. Further, a significant negative association between park aesthetics and the population with a lower than high school education percentage was observed. Revealed differences in park availability, park acreage, and park quality dimensions emphasized the need for targeted policy, programmatic, and infrastructure interventions to improve park access and quality and address health disparities.

Leveraging big data for outdoor recreation management: A case study from the York river in Virginia.

Outdoor recreation is important for improving quality of life, well-being, and local economies, but quantifying its value without direct monetary transactions can be challenging. This study explores combining non-market valuation techniques with emerging big data sources to estimate the value of recreation for the York River and surrounding parks in Virginia. By applying the travel cost method to anonymous human mobility data, we gain deeper insights into the significance of recreational experiences for visitors and the local economy. Results of a zero-inflated Negative Binomial model show a mean consumer surplus value of $26.91 per trip, totaling $15.5 million across nearly 600,000 trips observed in 2022. Further, weekends, holidays, and the summer and fall months are found to be peak visitation times, whereas those with young children and who are Hispanic or over 64 years old are less likely to visit. These findings shed light on various factors influencing visitation patterns and recreation values, including temporal effects and socio-demographics, revealing disparities that warrant targeted efforts for inclusivity and accessibility. Policymakers can use these insights to make informed and sustainable choices in outdoor recreation management, fostering the preservation of natural resources for the benefit of both visitors and the environment.

Understanding park visitors' soundscape perception using subjective and objective measurement.

Environmental noise knows no boundaries, affecting even protected areas. Noise pollution, originating from both external and internal sources, imposes costs on these areas. It is associated with adverse health effects, while natural sounds contribute to cognitive and emotional improvements as ecosystem services. When it comes to parks, individual visitors hold unique perceptions of soundscapes, which can be shaped by various factors such as their motivations for visiting, personal norms, attitudes towards specific sounds, and expectations. In this study, we utilized linear models and geospatial data to evaluate how visitors' personal norms and attitudes, the park's acoustic environment, visitor counts, and the acoustic environment of visitors' neighborhoods influenced their perception of soundscapes at Muir Woods National Monument. Our findings indicate that visitors' subjective experiences had a greater impact on their perception of the park's soundscape compared to purely acoustic factors like sound level of the park itself. Specifically, we found that motivations to hear natural sounds, interference caused by noise, sensitivity to noise, and the sound levels of visitors' home neighborhoods influenced visitors' perception of the park's soundscape. Understanding how personal factors shape visitors' soundscape perception can assist urban and non-urban park planners in effectively managing visitor experiences and expectations.

Market segmentation and consumer motivations in protected natural parks: A study from Spain.

There has been an increase in the interest of tourists in the environment and enjoying it in recent years. This research aims to: a) Identify the motivational dimensions in the protected natural parks and b) Analyze the different segments in the protected natural parks. The research was conducted in the Posets-Maladeta protected area in Spain. The sample comprises 422 surveys got in situ. Data analysis involved the execution of factor analysis and non-hierarchical K-means segmentation. The findings suggest the presence of nine motivational dimensions in the protected natural park studied: self-development, interpersonal relationships, security measures, establishing personal bonds, escape, ego-defensive function, nature, entertainment, and rewards. In addition, within this protected natural park is confirmed the presence of two distinct segments: one focused on nature and the other encompassing multiple motives. The results contribute management guidelines for natural park managers for the benefit of communities and visitors. Additionally, this work can serve as a valuable addition to the academic literature concerning ecotourism.

Priority populations' experiences of the accessibility and inclusion of recreation centres: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Although the health benefits of physical activity are well documented, certain priority populations are often disproportionately insufficiently active and at higher risk of poor health. Recreation centres have the potential to provide accessible and supportive environments for physical activity for all. However, little is known about priority populations' experiences of these venues and their views of how accessibility and inclusion can be optimised. This study aimed to gain in-depth insights of recreation centre experiences and potential strategies for improving inclusion and accessibility amongst priority populations (women, older adults, ethnic minorities, persons living with disabilities/additional needs, individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+, low socio-economic position). METHODS: This qualitative study (2021-2022) involved 18 semi-structured individual interviews with adult priority population users of recreation centres (50% 65 + years, 61.2% female) in one Melbourne municipality. Participants were asked to discuss their positive and negative experiences at the centres and to identify strategies for enhancing accessibility and inclusion. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed for data analysis. RESULTS: While many participants had positive views of the facilities and programs at the centres, as they met their needs, they also had suggestions for improving accessibility and inclusion. Similarly, most participants were happy with the communications, felt included, and perceived the culture positively. Those who did not feel included at the centres offered many potential strategies for changing the culture, modifying communications (e.g., signage), and establishing partnerships for better access and inclusion. CONCLUSIONS: The present study adds to essential knowledge concerning priority populations' experiences of recreation centres. For recreation facilities that were generally perceived as having positive inclusion and accessibility, the findings nonetheless highlighted suggestions for further enhancement. These strategies may be useful more broadly for improving accessibility and inclusion, thereby promoting physical activity and ultimately health for all.

The digitalization of outdoor recreation: Global perspectives on the opportunities and challenges for protected area management.

The increasing popularity of digital media among protected area visitors poses challenges to protected area management. It alters the way visitors move and behave in the area, potentially increasing disturbance of nature, and it might also affect their expectation prior to the visit and their reflection on it. Simultaneously, digital media allow protected area managers to develop and implement new methods of digital visitor management (DVM). This may help to avoid conflicts and ensure compliance with rules and regulations and may have much further reaching positive consequences. Based on an online survey across 131 parks in 46 countries covering all continents, this study examined for the first time how protected areas view DVM. The results showed that the majority of park managers see digitalization as an opportunity, with 91% agreeing that it enables them to reach larger numbers of visitors and to provide real-time information. The advantage of integrating digital media into visitor monitoring was recognized. However, some park managers perceived digitalization as problematic, with 42% agreeing that it increases visitor load in sensitive areas and 40% agreeing that it leads to more off-trail activity. A clear majority of the respondents (61-91%) saw the proposed methods of DVM as effective or very effective. Accordingly, 70% of them envisioned using DVM in the future. Our findings suggest that the effects of digitalization in outdoor recreation are largely similar across the globe, with no significant influence of economic status or region. They offer insights into the potential of DVM for protected area management, but also its main obstacles. Adoption will be facilitated by increasing staff and funding for DVM. Additionally, knowledge exchange between protected areas can ease the successful implementation of new digital tools.

Inequalities in Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Television Viewing According to Age Among a Brazilian Adult Population.

BACKGROUND: The present study aims to estimate leisure-time physical activity and television (TV) viewing curves according to age stratified by sex, area of residence, and socioeconomic position. METHODS: Using data from the Brazilian National Health Survey, we estimated the prevalence of leisure-time physical activity and TV viewing according to continuous age. The estimates were calculated using fractional polynomials and stratified by sex, wealth, skin color, and area of residence. RESULTS: The sample included 87,376 adults (aged 18 y or over). In general, leisure-time physical activity decreased according to age while TV viewing increased. Regarding behavior of curves according to stratifiers, for leisure-time physical activity the disadvantaged groups maintained a pattern of low physical activity across all age groups or presented the decrease earlier when compared to groups in social advantage. On the other hand, for TV viewing, women presented an increase in prevalence before men, and individuals living in the urban area and the wealthiest group were those with a higher increase according to age. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may help researchers and policymakers further explore inequalities in physical activity across life in different settings, as well as develop sensitive cultural actions to support more vulnerable people to adopt public health recommendations.

Trail degradation caused by mountain biking and hiking: A multi-dimensional analysis.

Growing demands for on-trail activities have aroused challenges of how to balance outdoor recreation and protected area conservation. Unfortunately, most previous studies have focused on only one or two degradation features, so inconsistent views (i.e., no consensus on impacts induced by hiking and mountain biking) were obtained. This study investigated a mountain biking trail, a hiking trail, and an unmanaged trail in a Hong Kong country park for 1.5 years. Five dimensions of trail degradation, namely Trail Morphometry, Soil Texture, Soil Compaction, Erosion Feature, and Recovery Feature, were identified by Explanatory Factor Analysis. Significant correlations were found between hiking and all five dimensions, while mountain biking was significantly associated only with Trail Morphometry, Erosion Feature, and Recovery Feature. Trail grade and landform grade significantly affected Trail Morphometry, Soil Texture, and Erosion Feature, but trail slope alignment was a null predictor. Hiking caused more severe trail degradation than mountain biking, even after controlling for topography. These findings supplement the existing literature by providing a comprehensive understanding of the multitude of adverse impacts caused by hiking and mountain biking. This study provides a valuable reference for sustainable trail management in protected areas that receive both hikers and mountain bikers.

"It Doesn't Die Within You": Outdoor Recreation Participation Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Although some people with spinal cord injury (SCI) return to outdoor recreation, many have low activity levels and encounter significant environmental barriers. The purpose of the study was to describe how people with SCI engage in outdoor recreation activities, what meaning they attribute to these, and to inform occupational therapists in promoting outdoor recreation post-SCI. The study used qualitative, descriptive phenomenology. Thirteen participants completed semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Outdoor recreation contributes to personal well-being. It is a way to share life with loved ones and other disabled people. Having the right equipment and using a trial-and-error approach facilitated participation, which was sometimes supported and frequently constrained by physical, built, and information environments. Findings suggest implications for occupational therapists in the areas of direct intervention, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. These are consistent with the American Occupational Therapy Association Vision 2025 to collaborate for inclusion and accessibility in occupational performance.

Impacts of climate change on dogsledding recreation and tourism in Arctic Sweden.

The range of Arctic tourism supply is continuously increasing with a variety of tourism products on offer. However, climate change is becoming a more prominent issue threatening the operations of tourism businesses and the livelihood of some tourism actors, such as dogsledders. This article aims to fill the descriptive research gap that exists regarding the dependency on the physical environment, climate, and weather for dogsledding activities. This is achieved by studying how climate change may threaten possible climate and weather thresholds for these activities, and how climate change may affect the future opportunities for dogsledding in northern Sweden. The study is based on interviews with dogsledders in Arctic Sweden and climate projections from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The results demonstrate the following thresholds for dogsledding activities: (1) dogsledding requires 10-20 cm of packed snow and/or solid ice on bodies of water, (2) above 15 °C is too hot for dogs to pull (wheeled) sledges, (3) cold weather thresholds are determined by visitors' preferences and are not considered a problem for dogsledders or dogs, and (4) rain can cancel tours for all dogsledders, and strong wind can cancel tours for dogsledders located in the mountain regions. Finally, extreme events such as heatwaves, storms, thunderstorms, forest fires, heavy rain, floods, and more rapid weather changes have already affected some dogsledders. These necessary thresholds for dogsledding activities could already be jeopardized for the southern and coastal locations of Arctic Sweden. In addition, the climate projections from SMHI show that warmer days and more precipitation in the form of rain will become more common in the future, especially in the absence of global mitigation measures. However, further research on vulnerability/resilience and adaption strategies for dogsledding activities is necessary to truly understand the impact of climate change.

Parks Visitation, Physical Activity Engagement, and Older People's Motivation for Visiting Local Parks.

Despite the health benefits of parks and outdoor recreational spaces, small numbers of older people visit parks. This study identified older park visitors' perceptions of their local parks, visit motivation, health, and physical activity level in six parks in Victoria, Australia. Characteristics of general community park visitors and their physical activity engagement were also recorded. Fifty-five older people were surveyed onsite; 92.7% lived within a 5-km distance from the park. Walking was the most common reason for visiting (36.4%), followed by walking the dog (36.4%) and exercise (23.6%). Most older visitors (77.8%) were determined as being sufficiently active. Observation of parks visitors over 1 week recorded 3,770 park visitors, with <5% being older people. Half of all park visitors were inactive, and half of older people visitors (50.5%) engaged in walking. This study supports the importance of parks, park features, and their potential in helping older people to achieve levels of physical activity required for good health.