Park Characteristics in Relation to Exercise and Recreational Walking

Abstract

Abstract

This study examines the association between park characteristics and frequency of park utilization for exercise and recreational walking. For this purpose, the survey was conducted among adults living in four neighborhoods of Bandar Abbas city, Iran. Five hundred questionnaires were distributed among the participants, of which 442 were qualified to be used for further analysis. Further recorded were the observation data using the Environmental Assessment for Public Recreation Spaces instrument from the parks noted by the respondents (n = 21). Using logistic regression, the findings revealed that park characteristics including facility, amenity, safety, size, and proximity were associated with higher park utilization for exercise walking. In addition, park characteristics such as facility, amenity, safety, esthetics, and proximity correlated with higher park utilization for recreational walking. The findings from the study confirmed the association of park characteristics with exercise and recreational walking. It can be concluded that enhancing the quality of parks can be highly conducive to higher park-based walking activity in the neighborhoods.