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.

Associations Between Enjoyable Activities and Uplifting Events: Effects on Momentary Positive Affect in Adulthood.

This study examined the effects of participation in enjoyable activities and the experience of uplifting events on individuals' momentary positive affect (PA) and tested for age differences in these effects. 176 adults (ages 25-66) completed ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) 5 times per day for 14 days. We found that individuals reported higher levels of PA at times when an uplifting event had occurred compared to times when an uplifting event had not occurred (p < 0.05), and this association was amplified among those who participated less frequently in enjoyable activities (p < 0.05). The moderating effect of participation in enjoyable activities was invariant across the sample's age range. The findings demonstrated that individuals who habitually participated in enjoyable activities experienced higher levels of PA in everyday life. In contrast, individuals who infrequently or never engaged in enjoyable activities depended upon recent uplifting events to experience higher levels of PA.

The Influence of Leisure Engagement on Daily Emotional Well-being.

Leisure engagement is believed to offer emotional benefits. However, relatively few studies have examined how leisure engagement influences emotional well-being in the context of individuals' everyday lives. The current study examined the associations between leisure engagement and daily emotional well-being, as measured by participants' mean levels of positive affect (PA), PA variability, and PA reactivity to stressors. Using smartphones, participants (n = 176) completed ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) 5 times per day for 14 consecutive days. The Pearson correlations indicated that the participants who engaged in leisure more frequently experienced higher mean levels of PA and lower PA variability in daily life compared to those with less frequent leisure engagement. However, multilevel models indicated that individuals' differences in frequency of leisure engagement did not influence their emotional reactivity in response to daily stressors. The findings extend the importance of leisure engagement to consider the dynamics of daily emotional well-being.

Relationship of perceived environmental characteristics to self-efficacy and leisure time physical activity among Asian immigrants in the U.S.

Background: Given the high prevalence of physical inactivity among Asian immigrants and its potential negative effects on health, more attention should be paid to identifying factors that might affect their participation in leisure time physician activity (LTPA). This study examined how perceived environmental characteristics are related to self-efficacy and LTPA among Asian immigrants in the United States. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from an on-line survey administered through Qualtrics, a web-based survey software company. In the data analysis, 512 Asian immigrants were included. As independent variables, we assessed perceived environmental characteristics with regard to the perceived accessibility of LTPA-related sites and neighborhood quality. As mediating and outcome variables, we measured self-efficacy and LTPA, respectively. Using AMOS version 22, a path analysis was conducted to measure model fit. Results: The perceived accessibility of the LTPA-related sites (b = 0.10, P = 0.04) and self-efficacy(b = 0.26, P = 0.001) were positively related to LTPA. Perceived neighborhood quality (b = 0.11,P = 0.012 was positively associated with self-efficacy, yet not directly associated with LTPA. Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between the perceived accessibility of LTPA-related sites and LTPA (estimate=0.036, 95% CI=0.015-0.067, P = 0.003). Conclusion: This study suggests that perceiving easy access to LTPA-related sites and living in quality neighborhoods can encourage people to participate in LTPA more often by increasing their self-efficacy toward LTPA. These findings highlight a need for public infrastructural investments to improve accessibility to LTPA-related resources and neighborhood quality, which can potentially increase self-efficacy and promote LTPA among Asian immigrants.

Adults Want to Play Too: Feasibility of an Adult Physical Activity Program Designed to Maximize Enjoyment.

BACKGROUND: Few adults in the United States obtain sufficient physical activity (PA) despite knowledge of the associated health benefits. The current feasibility study examined the feasibility of a novel modified sports intervention designed to promote enjoyment and sustained PA in sedentary adults. METHODS: The US adults (N = 22, mean age 39.2 y, male/female percentage 54.5/45.5) in Central Pennsylvania participated in the PlayFit sports program for 60-minute sessions, 2 to 3 times per week, over the course of 10 weeks and 24 game sessions; completing 198 person sessions collectively. Primary outcomes were PA (accelerometry) and intervention satisfaction. RESULTS: Percentage of time in moderate to vigorous activity ranged from 35.0% (volleyball) to 91.2% (ultimate frisbee). Percentage of time spent in vigorous activity ranged from 0.0% (volleyball) to 29.5% (team handball). Satisfaction, based on a 10-point scale with 10 being the most satisfied, ranged from 7.7 (kickball) to 8.7 (floor hockey and soccer). On average, all sports were rated highly, with the majority rated >8.5 and one rated <8.0. Percentage of time spent in the moderate to vigorous range was lower in men than in women (73.2% vs 80.0%, P = .01), but did not differ by age or body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: PlayFit is a promising first step in exploring the potential of modified sports programs to enhance population PA levels.

The relationship between parks and recreation per capita spending and mortality from 1980 to 2010: A fixed effects model.

Evidence concerning the link between park access, use, programming and health has continued to grow. However, government funding for parks and recreation is highly susceptible to the ebbs and flows of the national economy. Given this, the purpose of this study was to test the relationship between county area spending on parks and recreation operations and all-cause mortality in the United States from the years 1980-2010. Using data from 1980 to 2010 collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, we analyzed the relationship between per capita county area spending on parks and recreation and county-level all-cause age-standardized female, male, and overall mortality using county and year fixed effects as well as relevant time-variant controls. The study was conducted during 2017 and 2018. County area spending on parks and recreation was negatively associated with overall and female-specific mortality from 1980 to 2010. According to our models for female and overall all-cause age-standardized mortality, when holding all else equal, a hundred-dollar increase in 2010 dollars in per capita parks and recreation operational expenditures was associated with an average decrease in morality of 3.9 and 3.4 deaths per 100,000, respectively. Although not commonly viewed as a form of healthcare spending, increased government funding for parks and recreation services had a significant association with decreased county level mortality. Our results suggest higher levels of per capita spending on parks and recreation may lead to lower levels of mortality.

The relationship between self-rated health and local government spending on parks and recreation in the United States from 1997 to 2012.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between local government spending on parks and recreation and self-rated health in the United States. Using four publicly available datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Current Population Survey, the Decennial Census, the American Community Survey, and the State and Local Government Finance Survey for the years 1997-2012 (n = 303,203), we estimated a multinomial and a binary logit model predicting self-rated health with county area percentage of expenditures contributed to parks and recreation operations as the independent variable of interest. A one-percent increase in the portion of county area expenditures contributed to parks and recreation operations was associated with decreased relative risk of very good (RRR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.93, 0.96), good (RRR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.93, 0.97), or fair (RRR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.87, 0.92) health relative to excellent health. The effect held in the binary logit model for adult men and women, but not youth. Higher levels of parks and recreation spending were associated with higher levels of self-rated health for adults across the United States from 1997 to 2012. Investing greater portions of local government budgets in parks and recreation operations may have the potential to improve self-rated health among residents.

Assessing the Relationship Between a Composite Score of Urban Park Quality and Health.

INTRODUCTION: Walkable access to parks, sufficient park acreage, and investments in park and recreation resources are 3 indicators of quality city park systems. Few studies, however, have examined the collective effects of these indicators on public health outcomes. METHODS: Combining 3 nationwide public data sets, this study modeled the relationships between a composite score of urban park system quality effects on physical activity and self-reported health while controlling for demographic and lifestyle variables. Data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 500 Cities Project, the Trust for Public Land's City Park Facts Report, and the US Census Bureau. RESULTS: Regression analyses indicated that the composite park quality score was significantly related to both physical activity levels and physical health across a sample of 59 cities. Higher scores were associated with fewer physically inactive residents but were not significantly associated with better physical health. CONCLUSION: Assessing the collective contribution of park access, park acreage, and investment suggests that improvements to a city's composite score may correspond with greater physical activity, but more research is needed to establish the long-term relationships between park system quality and physical health.

Why just exercise if you can play? Interest in a modified sports program to enhance physical activity among primary care patients.

Fewer adults meet guidelines for aerobic physical activity, and many report a lack of enjoyment as a barrier. This survey was designed to determine the interest of primary care patients in participating in program designed to maximize enjoyment. Primary care patients (n = 540) in Central Pennsylvania reported their interest in participating in a "a regular fitness program where people your own age played games, such as softball, floor hockey and soccer, that were made to be easier to play and less competitive." Mean age was 58.4 years (SD = 16.5, range = 18-98). More than one-third (37.0%), including 59.6% of those under age 50, were interested in the modified sports fitness program. After adjusting for confounders, patients under age 40 were 5.9 (95% CI: 2.6-13.9) times as interested (v. age > 70) and non-white patients were 3.4 (95% CI: 1.3-8.5) times interested. Female patients and those with hypertension, high cholesterol or obesity were equally interested. A fitness program that consists of modified sports may be of interest to most primary care patients under age 50. Patients' initial interest appears high enough to warrant further development and testing.

Who Is Using Outdoor Fitness Equipment and How? The Case of Xihu Park.

Outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) placed in public parks has the potential to encourage physical activity. However, little is known about OFE users and use patterns. This study employed onsite and video observations of OFE usage to describe user characteristics and patterns in Xihu Park. Results indicate that OFE in this park attracted considerable use, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon. During these peak-hour observations, approximately 12 users per hour used the OFE, with the majority being females and seniors. The triple arm stretch and air walker were the most popular stations. However, most OFE users interacted with less than three of the available six OFE stations. Furthermore, users spent an average of less than nine minutes on all OFE stations combined. While OFE equipment was well-used in this urban park, it appears users did not interact with OFE at rates to produce a sufficient bout or level of physical activity during their park visit. Further investigations of OFE are encouraged to determine their health impact.

The Relationship Between Self-Rated Health and Use of Parks and Participation in Recreation Programs, United States, 1991 and 2015.

We examined the relationship between self-rated health and use of parks and recreation program participation by using logistic regression to analyze data from representative national surveys conducted in 1991 and 2015. Neither park use nor program participation were significantly related to self-rated health in 1991; however, both were significantly related in 2015. The growing relationship between use of parks and recreation programs and self-rated health during this period is likely the result of broad national health promotion efforts and provides support for funding of capital and operational expenses for park and recreation services.

Physical Activity Mode and Mental Distress in Adulthood.

INTRODUCTION: Nearly one fifth of American adults suffer from mental health issues, yet many treatments have side effects and stigma attached. Physical activity can be an effective treatment for mental health disorders, but most promotion efforts fail. One understudied aspect of physical activity is the specific mode, including if it engages others, and how this may relate to mental health. This study examined the potential relationship between different modes of physical activity and the frequency of mental distress. METHODS: Data from the 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed in 2015 to determine the relationship between participation in different modes of physical activity and frequent mental distress. RESULTS: Data were obtained on physical activity and frequent mental distress from 183,341 adults (aged 18-99 years, 51.9% female, 57.4% overweight/obese, 9.5% frequent mental distress). Prevalence of mental distress for those reporting activities was contrasted against walking alone. People who participated in tennis had 46% lower odds (95% CI=0.35, 0.84) of frequent mental distress. Approaching significance, non-team play sports were associated with 18% lower odds (95% CI=0.66, 1.01) of frequent mental distress, compared with walking alone. CONCLUSIONS: Activity modes are associated with mental health outcomes above and beyond the frequency and duration of activity. Given the social and play nature of the activities, this may reflect the relational aspect, enjoyment, or a combination of both. These results suggest that adding social or affective components to physical activity may enhance engagement and retention in activity promotion efforts and their benefits on mental health.

Community size as a factor in health partnerships in community parks and recreation, 2007.

INTRODUCTION: Although partnerships between park and recreation agencies and health agencies are prevalent, little research has examined partnership characteristics and effectiveness among communities of different sizes. The objective of this study was to determine whether park and recreation leaders' perceptions of partnership characteristics, effectiveness, and outcomes vary by community size. METHODS: A web-based survey was completed in 2007 by 1,217 National Recreation and Park Association members. Community size was divided into 4 categories: very small, small, medium, and large. Questions measured agencies' recognition of the need for partnerships, their level of experience, and the effectiveness and outcomes of partnerships. RESULTS: Larger communities were significantly more likely to recognize the need for and have more experience with partnerships than smaller communities. Very small and large communities partnered significantly more often with senior services, nonprofit health promotion agencies, and public health agencies than did small and medium ones. Large and small communities were significantly more likely than very small and medium communities to agree that their decision making in partnerships is inclusive and that they have clearly defined goals and objectives. Large communities were significantly more likely than very small communities to report that their partnership helped leverage resources, make policy changes, meet their mission statement, and link to funding opportunities. CONCLUSION: Community size shapes partnership practices, effectiveness, and outcomes. Very small communities are disadvantaged in developing and managing health partnerships. Increasing education, training, and funding opportunities for small and rural park and recreation agencies may enable them to more effectively partner with organizations to address community health concerns.

The role of park conditions and features on park visitation and physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood parks play an important role in promoting physical activity. We examined the effect of activity area, condition, and presence of supporting features on number of park users and park-based physical activity levels. METHODS: 37 parks and 154 activity areas within parks were assessed during summer 2008 for their features and park-based physical activity. Outcomes included any park use, number of park users, mean and total energy expenditure. Independent variables included type and condition of activity area, supporting features, size of activity area, gender, and day of week. Multilevel models controlled for clustering of observations at activity area and park levels. RESULTS: Type of activity area was associated with number of park users, mean and total energy expenditure, with basketball courts having the highest number of users and total energy expenditure, and playgrounds having the highest mean energy expenditure. Condition of activity areas was positively associated with number of basketball court users and inversely associated with number of green space users and total green space energy expenditure. Various supporting features were both positively and negatively associated with each outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence regarding characteristics of parks that can contribute to achieving physical activity goals within recreational spaces.

Integrating social capital into a park-use and active-living framework.

BACKGROUND: Parks have been proposed as a feature of the built environment that may promote increased physical activity. Little, if any, research has investigated the role of the park social environment in promoting physical activity within parks, however. PURPOSE: To examine whether social capital is a collective feature of the park environment and whether it is associated with park use and park-based physical activity. METHODS: Adult park users (n=222) were surveyed in 27 neighborhood parks in New Orleans LA in July-August 2008. Direct observation methods were used to count the numbers and activity levels of all park users in these parks on weekdays during the hours of 4:00-7:00(PM). Multilevel linear regression models were used to calculate the intraclass correlation (ICC), which measures the variation in perceived social capital attributable to differences among parks and to test whether park use and physical activity outcomes differed between parks with high versus low levels of social capital. Analyses were conducted in 2009-2010. RESULTS: In study parks, 27% of perceived social capital was attributable to differences among parks (ICC=0.27). Parks with higher levels of social capital had higher daily numbers of observed park users (42.5 vs 12.1, p=0.0044) and had more energy expended within the park (3200.3 vs 721.2 MET-minutes across all park users, p=0.0087). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to improve park social environments should be conducted to determine if they promote increased physical activity among park users.

The Role of Park Conditions and Features on Park Visitation and Physical Activity.

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood parks play an important role in promoting physical activity. We examined the effect of activity area, condition, and presence of supporting features on number of park users and park-based physical activity levels. METHODS: 37 parks and 154 activity areas within parks were assessed during summer 2008 for their features and park-based physical activity. Outcomes included any park use, number of park users, mean and total energy expenditure. Independent variables included type and condition of activity area, supporting features, size of activity area, gender, and day of week. Multilevel models controlled for clustering of observations at activity area and park levels. RESULTS: Type of activity area was associated with number of park users, mean and total energy expenditure, with basketball courts having the highest number of users and total energy expenditure, and playgrounds having the highest mean energy expenditure. Condition of activity areas was positively associated with number of basketball court users and inversely associated with number of green space users and total green space energy expenditure. Various supporting features were both positively and negatively associated with each outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence regarding characteristics of parks that can contribute to achieving physical activity goals within recreational spaces.

Escaping to and being active in neighbourhood parks: park use in a post-disaster setting.

Neighbourhood parks may serve as a coping resource in post-disaster communities, yet little is known about the impact of large-scale disasters on park use. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) on park use by visitors from flooded areas of New Orleans, Louisiana, compared to visitors from non-flooded areas. In 2006 and 2007, following Hurricane Katrina, 201 adults who visited 27 New Orleans parks were interviewed. Visitors from flooded neighbourhoods used their parks less often and were less likely to engage in animal interaction than visitors from non-flooded neighbourhoods. They placed more importance on escape and physically-active motivations than visitors from non-flooded areas. Social reasons were also more important to visitors from flooded areas, but these differences disappeared after adjusting for race. Neighbourhood parks are a community asset that may play a role in the post-disaster recovery process by providing opportunities for escape and physical activity.

Does self-selection influence the relationship between park availability and physical activity?

OBJECTIVE: Increased proximity to parkland is associated with physical activity (PA). This study explored the extent to which self-selection--the idea that active persons simply seek out neighborhoods more endowed with active resources--influences the relationship between park availability and PA. METHOD: In August 2007, measures of parkland availability within 1 km, importance placed on living near parks, and park-based PA participation were assessed for 585 adults in Waterloo, Ontario. RESULTS: Logistic regression revealed that (i) participants who placed greater importance on neighborhood open space were not more likely to live near more parkland; (ii) both park importance and park space availability were associated with increased, and relatively equal, odds of engaging in at least some park-based PA; and (iii) participants who placed a low importance on living near parks but had a higher amount of park space nearby were significantly more likely to engage in park-based PA than participants who also placed a low importance on parks but had less nearby park space. CONCLUSION: The issue of self-selection does not solely account for the relationship frequently observed between park space availability and PA. Future prospective and intervention studies are needed to draw more definitive conclusions about causality.

Interactive social cognitive model of leisure-time physical activity in mid to late life.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the interactive effects of exercise identity (EI) and outcome expectations (OE) on constraints, constraint self-regulation, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). METHODS: Surveyed a convenience sample of middle-aged and older adults (N = 271) at a metropolitan park agency in the Midwest. RESULTS: The final reduced model predicted 24% of the variance in LTPA, including an indirect effect of EI x OE through intrapersonal constraints. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that these social cognitive factors are useful in understanding low to high-intensity LTPA and have implications for LTPA programs for adults aged 50 and older.

Physical activity in the park setting (PA-PS) questionnaire: reliability in a California statewide sample.

BACKGROUND: The Physical Activity in Parks Setting (PA-PS) instrument is a series of survey questions designed by a consortium of public health and leisure research scholars to gauge park-based physical activity for use in civilian, noninstitutionalized populations. This paper introduces this self-reported instrument and provides test-retest reliability results. METHODS: Data to test the instrument reliability were collected during 2 waves in 2008 through the California Outdoor Recreation Opinions and Attitudes Telephone Survey. To conduct test-retest reliability we examined the agreement between 100 randomly reselected respondents from the first wave of respondents (n=2004) that answered the same survey within 21 to 30 days of the initial administration. RESULTS: The reliability of measures that categorized individual park use and visitation with others provided moderate levels of agreement (Kappa = 0.44 to 0.64). Questions about park features, facilities and amenity use, and specific park-based physical activity participation were of fair to substantial agreement (Kappa = 0.21 to 0.90) depending on the item in question. CONCLUSION: The results from these test-retest reliability analyses suggest the PA-PS items were reliable and should be considered in future population surveys that assess park visitation patterns and park-based physical activity levels.