veitch-activeuse-2017.pdf (469.54 kB)
Active use of parks in Flanders (Belgium): an exploratory observational study
journal contribution
posted on 2017-01-01, 00:00 authored by L Van Hecke, J Van Cauwenberg, P Clarys, D Van Dyck, Jenny VeitchJenny Veitch, B DeforcheParks have the potential to increase physical activity at the community level by providing opportunities to be active. In order to inform interventions to promote physical activity in parks, insight is needed concerning park user characteristics, the activity level of park users, the types of activities performed and associations between park areas and temporal variables with observed physical activity levels. Park user characteristics (sex, age, ethnicity and activity level) were recorded within pre-defined park areas in two parks in Ghent (Belgium) using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC). Most park users were male, adult, and engaged in vigorous-intensity physical activity (48%). Most popular activities were biking (38%), sitting (23%) and walking (15%); accordingly, trails were used most and had the highest levels of physical activity compared to other park areas. Parks were used least frequently in the morning, during the weekend and by seniors. Therefore, active park use during morning periods, on weekend days and by seniors should be promoted and urban planners should consider that different park areas can possibly elicit varying activity levels among park users.
History
Journal
International journal of environmental research and public healthVolume
14Issue
1Season
Article number: 35Article number
35Pagination
1 - 15Publisher
MDPI AGLocation
Basel, SwitzerlandPublisher DOI
ISSN
1661-7827eISSN
1660-4601Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2016, The AuthorsUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
SOPARCactive livingdirect observationphysical activityrecreationScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEnvironmental SciencesPublic, Environmental & Occupational HealthEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyPUBLIC OPEN SPACESPHYSICAL-ACTIVITYINDEPENDENT MOBILITYGREEN SPACESOLDER-ADULTSNEIGHBORHOODURBANHEALTHVISITATIONASSOCIATIONS
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