How Active Are People in Metropolitan Parks? An Observational Study of Park Visitation in Australia

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2015 Jul 5

PMID 26141112

Citations 35

Authors

Jenny Veitch

Alison Carver

Gavin Abbott

Billie Giles-Corti

Anna Timperio

Jo Salmon

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Parks are generally an under-utilized resource in the community with great potential to enhance levels of physical activity. If parks are to attract more visitors across a broad cross-section of the population and facilitate increased physical activity, research is needed to better understand park visitor characteristics and how visitors spend their time in parks. The Recording and EValuating Activity in a Modified Park (REVAMP) study is a natural experiment monitoring a park upgrade in a low socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhood. This study described the observed baseline characteristics of park visitors (age, sex) and characteristics of visitation (weekday or weekend day, period of the day) and explored how these characteristics were associated with observed park-based physical activity in two metropolitan parks located Melbourne, Australia.

Methods: Direct observations of park visitors were conducted using a modified version of SOPARC (the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities) on four weekdays and four weekend days. During weekdays, observations were conducted every hour from 7:30 am-4:30 pm and on weekend days from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. This equated to a total of 1460 scans across the two parks. Chi-square tests examined bivariate associations between park-based physical activity, and socio-demographic and park visitation characteristics. Logistic regression models examined the odds of being observed engaging in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity relative to lying/sitting/standing according to socio-demographic and park visitation characteristics.

Results: In total, 4756 park visitors were observed with the majority visiting on weekend days (87 %) and in the afternoon (41 %). Most visitors (62 %) were lying, sitting or standing, with only 29 % observed engaging in moderate-intensity and 9 % in vigorous-intensity physical activity. Park use differed by time of day, sex, age group, and neighborhood SES. Physical activity was lower for women than men (OR 0.76) and higher among visitors in the high SES area (OR 1.52).

Conclusions: Parks offer substantial opportunities for people of all ages to engage in physical activity; however, this study showed that a large proportion of the park visitors observed were engaged in sedentary pursuits. Further research on how park design, amenities and programming can optimize park visitation and park-based physical activity is needed.

Trial Registration: Current controlled trial ISRCTN50745547 , registration date 11.1.2014.

Citing Articles

Personalised ecology and the future of biodiversity.

Gaston K, Phillips B, Soga M Camb Prism Extinct. 2025; 1:e18.

PMID: 40078673 PMC: 11895722. DOI: 10.1017/ext.2023.15.

Spatial vitality variation in community parks and their influencing factors.

Zhang J, Hu X, Wang J PLoS One. 2025; 20(3):e0312941.

PMID: 40043073 PMC: 11882039. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312941.

Park proximity and all-day and time-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviour in older adults.

Lin C, Lai T, Fang C, Hsueh M, Liao Y BMC Geriatr. 2024; 24(1):938.

PMID: 39538132 PMC: 11562344. DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05527-8.

Influence of park visitation on physical activity, well-being and social connectedness among Australians during COVID-19.

Rivera E, Arundell L, Parker K, Veitch J, Salmon J, Ridgers N Health Promot Int. 2024; 39(5).

PMID: 39436759 PMC: 11495220. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daae137.

Association of Park Renovation With Park Use in New York City.

Kodali H, Wyka K, Costa S, Evenson K, Thorpe L, Huang T JAMA Netw Open. 2024; 7(4):e241429.

PMID: 38598241 PMC: 11007573. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1429.

References

Hino A A F, Reis R, Ribeiro I, Parra D, Brownson R, Fermino R . Using observational methods to evaluate public open spaces and physical activity in Brazil. J Phys Act Health. 2010; 7 Suppl 2:S146-54. DOI: 10.1123/jpah.7.s2.s146. View

Cohen D, McKenzie T, Sehgal A, Williamson S, Golinelli D, Lurie N . Contribution of public parks to physical activity. Am J Public Health. 2007; 97(3):509-14. PMC: 1805017. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.072447. View

Engelhard S, Stubbs J, Weston P, Fitzgerald S, Giles-Corti B, Milat A . Methodological considerations when conducting direct observation in an outdoor environment: our experience in local parks. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2001; 25(2):149-51. DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2001.tb01837.x. View

Lee I, Shiroma E, Lobelo F, Puska P, Blair S, Katzmarzyk P . Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet. 2012; 380(9838):219-29. PMC: 3645500. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9. View

Van Dyck D, Cerin E, Conway T, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Owen N, Kerr J . Associations between perceived neighborhood environmental attributes and adults' sedentary behavior: findings from the U.S.A., Australia and Belgium. Soc Sci Med. 2012; 74(9):1375-84. PMC: 3321105. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.01.018. View

Ball K, Crawford D . Socio-economic factors in obesity: a case of slim chance in a fat world?. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2006; 15 Suppl:15-20. View

Han B, Cohen D, McKenzie T . Quantifying the contribution of neighborhood parks to physical activity. Prev Med. 2013; 57(5):483-7. PMC: 3800218. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.06.021. View

Crawford D, Timperio A, Giles-Corti B, Ball K, Hume C, Roberts R . Do features of public open spaces vary according to neighbourhood socio-economic status?. Health Place. 2007; 14(4):889-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.11.002. View

Shores K, West S . Rural and urban park visits and park-based physical activity. Prev Med. 2009; 50 Suppl 1:S13-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.07.023. View

10.

Pretty J, Peacock J, Sellens M, Griffin M . The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise. Int J Environ Health Res. 2006; 15(5):319-37. DOI: 10.1080/09603120500155963. View

11.

McKenzie T, Cohen D, Sehgal A, Williamson S, Golinelli D . System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC): Reliability and Feasibility Measures. J Phys Act Health. 2011; 3 Suppl 1:S208-S222. PMC: 2957838. View

12.

Cohen D, Marsh T, Williamson S, Derose K, Martinez H, Setodji C . Parks and physical activity: why are some parks used more than others?. Prev Med. 2009; 50 Suppl 1:S9-12. PMC: 2821457. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.08.020. View

13.

Bohn-Goldbaum E, Phongsavan P, Merom D, Rogers K, Kamalesh V, Bauman A . Does playground improvement increase physical activity among children? A quasi-experimental study of a natural experiment. J Environ Public Health. 2013; 2013:109841. PMC: 3694497. DOI: 10.1155/2013/109841. View

14.

Giles-Corti B, Broomhall M, Knuiman M, Collins C, Douglas K, Ng K . Increasing walking: how important is distance to, attractiveness, and size of public open space?. Am J Prev Med. 2005; 28(2 Suppl 2):169-76. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2004.10.018. View

15.

Floyd M, Bocarro J, Smith W, Baran P, Moore R, Cosco N . Park-based physical activity among children and adolescents. Am J Prev Med. 2011; 41(3):258-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.04.013. View

16.

Parra D, McKenzie T, Ribeiro I, Ferreira Hino A, Dreisinger M, Coniglio K . Assessing physical activity in public parks in Brazil using systematic observation. Am J Public Health. 2010; 100(8):1420-6. PMC: 2901293. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.181230. View

17.

Sugiyama T, Giles-Corti B, Summers J, du Toit L, Leslie E, Owen N . Initiating and maintaining recreational walking: a longitudinal study on the influence of neighborhood green space. Prev Med. 2013; 57(3):178-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.05.015. View

18.

Sugiyama T, Francis J, Middleton N, Owen N, Giles-Corti B . Associations between recreational walking and attractiveness, size, and proximity of neighborhood open spaces. Am J Public Health. 2010; 100(9):1752-7. PMC: 2920990. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.182006. View

19.

Kaczynski A, Wilhelm Stanis S, Hastmann T, Besenyi G . Variations in observed park physical activity intensity level by gender, race, and age: individual and joint effects. J Phys Act Health. 2011; 8 Suppl 2:S151-60. View

20.

Van Dyck D, Sallis J, Cardon G, Deforche B, Adams M, Geremia C . Associations of neighborhood characteristics with active park use: an observational study in two cities in the USA and Belgium. Int J Health Geogr. 2013; 12:26. PMC: 3651346. DOI: 10.1186/1476-072X-12-26. View