Association Between Park Characteristics and Park-Based Physical Activity Using Systematic Observation: Insights from Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Parks hold an essential role in promoting physical activity in urban areas. Studies have found that park characteristics such as park size, facilities, accessibility, and aesthetics are reported to have a positive association with increasing physical activity of the urban populations. However, the evidence in the context of Southeast Asian cities is still lacking, as most studies are from North America and Europe. The study explores the associations between park characteristics and park-based physical activity in Bangkok, Thailand. Ten major public parks were examined using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC). Descriptive analysis was used to understand the characteristics of park users and park-based physical activity. A bivariate logistic regression model was employed to determine the variables of park characteristics and of having moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). We found that parks with bigger sizes and better access to public transport were associated with a higher likelihood of users having MVPA in the park. We also found that adding more facilities in the park, even if they are specifically aimed for physical activity, would not increase the likelihood of having MVPA. The findings from the study suggested that investing in better accessibility and physical quality of existing parks as well as improving equal opportunities for park use will be a more sensible option for promoting park-based physical activity in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Effects of Park Improvement on Park Use and Park-Based Physical Activity

“…A previous study in assessing physical activity in parks In Bangkok used a similar method (Chandrasiri & Arifwidodo, 2017). Adjustments to physical activity types in the SOPARC form were made to refl ect the Th ai context, following the study conducted by Arifwidodo and Chandrasiri (2020a).…”

Better Park Design Contributes to Physical Activity Improvement

“…For example, many studies on park use in the US have found that the number of users and activities were similar during the morning, afternoon, and evening observation periods (Cohen et al, 2015). On the other hand, studies in Thailand and Singapore have found that most users visited the parks during the morning and evening due to hot and humid weather in the afternoon (Arifwidodo, 2020). Types of the user were also different between eastern and western context.…”

“…For example, studies in the US and European cities found that children and adolescents were the most dominant groups. Studies in the eastern part of the world revealed that most park users were adult and older adult groups (Arifwidodo and Chandrasiri, 2020).…”

Áreas Verdes Públicas Y Prevalencia De Obesidad Infantil: El Caso De Las Comunas Del Gran Concepción

“…La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) nos recomienda que los niños y niñas deben realizar al menos 300 minutos de AF a la semana, claramente lo alcanzado solamente en los establecimientos educacionales no es adecuado, siendo importante incluir mayores facilidades para tributar a este objetivo, los niños obtienen AF fuera de la escuela y hay necesidad de considerar muchos contextos ambientales para esto (Lachowycz et al, 2013), los parques ofrecen lugares seguros, económicos y convenientes para realizar actividades físicas (Arifwidodo & Chandrasiri, 2020;Bao et al, 2021), pero no solo tener el espacio basta, pues tanto la proximidad del parque como las instalaciones están relacionadas con su uso y la actividad física en este espacio (Kaczynski et al, 2014). Las AV probablemente brindan oportunidades para que los adolescentes hagan ejercicio, lo que mejora la salud general y reduce la adiposidad (Akpınar, 2019;Huang et al, 2020), además estos espacios pueden ser un recurso gratuito en las personas de bajos ingresos (Huang et al, 2020).…”