Do features of public open spaces vary between urban and rural areas?

Veitch, Jenny; Salmon, Jo; Ball, Kylie; Crawford, David; Timperio, Anna

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.11.016

Cited by 43 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…The high level of physical activity reported in this rural cohort is interesting and potentially counter‐intuitive given previous reports indicating just 45% of females in this age group are sufficiently active 40 . This could reflect the positive physical activity environment reported, including adequate access to physical activity resources, despite research confirming reduced access to parks and fewer walking paths in rural, compared with urban settings 41 . The perception of a safe community and a pleasant place in which to be active overall may also have an impact on physical activity levels requiring further research, which has been shown to mediate physical activity levels in disadvantaged settings 14 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…40 This could reflect the positive physical activity environment reported, including adequate access to physical activity resources, despite research confirming reduced access to parks and fewer walking paths in rural, compared with urban settings. 41 The perception of a safe community and a pleasant place in which to be active overall may also have an impact on physical activity levels requiring further research, which has been shown to mediate physical activity levels in disadvantaged settings. 14 Obese women had a more negative perception of their physical activity and healthy eating environment compared with lean women despite residing in the same community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Individual, social and environmental factors and their association with weight in rural‐dwelling women

Harrison

Teede

Kozica

et al. 2017

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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Objective: Obesity is a major public health concern and women living in rural settings present a high‐risk group. With contributing factors poorly explored, we evaluated their association with weight in rural Australian women. Methods: Women aged 18–50 years of any body mass index (BMI) were recruited between October 2012 and April 2013 as part of a larger, randomised controlled trial within 42 rural towns. Measured weight and height as well as self‐reported measures of individual health, physical activity, dietary intake, self‐management, social support and environmental perception were collected. Statistical analysis included linear regression for continuous variables as well as chi‐squared and logistic regression for categorical variables with all results adjusted for clustering. Results: 649 women with a mean baseline age and BMI of 39.6±6.7 years and 28.8±6.9 kg/m2 respectively, were studied. Overall, 65% were overweight or obese and 60% overall reported recent weight gain. There was a high intention to self‐manage weight, with 68% attempting to lose weight recently, compared to 20% of women reporting health professional engagement for weight management. Obese women reported increased weight gain, energy intake, sitting time and prevalence of pre‐existing health conditions. There was an inverse relationship between increased weight and scores for self‐management, social support and health environment perception. Conclusions: Many women in rural communities reported recent weight gain and were attempting to self‐manage their weight with little external support. Implications for public health: Initiatives to prevent weight gain require a multifaceted approach, with self‐management strategies and social support in tandem with building a positive local environmental perception.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual, social and environmental factors and their association with weight in rural‐dwelling women

Harrison

Teede

Kozica

et al. 2017

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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“…6 In addition, a recent study in Australia found that while rural parks scored higher in aesthetics, urban parks scored higher in access, lighting/safety, diversity of play equipment, and were more likely to have paths suitable for walking/cycling. 7 These findings highlight important differences between urban and rural parks that limit the generalizability of the current literature.…”

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confidence: 90%

The Associations Between Park Environments and Park Use in Southern US Communities

Banda

Wilcox

Colabianchi

et al. 2014

The Journal of Rural Health

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Purpose To document park use and park and neighborhood environment characteristics in rural communities, and to examine the relationship between park characteristics and park use. Methods The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities measured use in 42 target areas across 6 community parks in May 2010 and October 2010. Direct observation instruments were used to assess park and neighborhood environment characteristics. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between the condition, number of amenities, and number of incivilities in a target area with target area use. Findings Ninety-seven people were observed across all parks during May 2010 data collection and 116 people during October 2010 data collection. Low park quality index scores and unfavorable neighborhood environment characteristics were observed. There was a significant positive association between number of incivilities in a target area and target area use (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.09–3.38; P = .03). Conclusions The number of people observed using the parks in this study was low, and it was considerably less than the number observed in other studies. The objective park and neighborhood environment characteristics documented in this study provide a more comprehensive understanding of parks than other studies. Further examining the complex relationship between park and neighborhood environment characteristics and park use is important, as it can inform park administrators and city planners of characteristics that are best able to attract visitors.

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“…For example, in some rural settings, low population density, long distances between destinations, and lack of facilities may combine to discourage active transportation by walking (Yousefian et al, 2010)—issues that may not be as common in more urbanized areas. One recent study found that rural parks scored lower than urban parks on access, lighting, and safety and diversity of play equipment (Veitch, Salmon, Ball, Crawford, & Timperio, 2013), each of which could influence rural adults’ activity levels. Additionally, in rural communities and neighborhoods, adult levels of physical activity were positively associated with safety from crime or traffic, as well as the presence of walking trails.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Influences on Physical Activity in Rural Midwestern Adults

Chrisman

Nothwehr

Yang

et al. 2014

Health Promotion Practice

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Qualitative research can be used to examine multiple factors associated with physical activity and help practitioners identify language used by the rural adult population when discussing this behavior. Three focus groups were conducted among 19 residents of multiple towns in a rural Midwestern county to examine the language and influences on rural physical activity. Focus group members were asked to define physical activity, exercise, community, and neighborhood. They were asked about the activities they engaged in and facilitators and barriers to those activities. A guidebook was developed to capture major themes and common patterns that emerged in the responses to the topics discussed. The data were reviewed for repeated statements and points that were agreed on by multiple participants. Important factors associated with physical activity include the importance of social support and modeling physical activity behavior. Also, the influence of pets and children was important for engaging these adults in physical activity. The focus group members engaged in walking and bicycling in their neighborhood streets and community trails, and desired to see community buildings be open to the public for exercise. This study revealed contextual issues and culturally relevant language for practitioners to use in tailoring physical activity measurement tools or designing interventions for a rural adult population. Social support (specifically, seeing others being active and using pets as motivators for being active) and policy attitudes may be targeted for interventions to increase physical activity in rural adults.

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Do features of public open spaces vary between urban and rural areas?

Abstract: Although the findings cannot be generalized to all urban and rural parks, the results may be used to inform advocacy for park development in rural areas to create parks that are more supportive of physical activity for children and adults.

Cited by 43 publications

References 26 publications

Individual, social and environmental factors and their association with weight in rural‐dwelling women

Individual, social and environmental factors and their association with weight in rural‐dwelling women

The Associations Between Park Environments and Park Use in Southern US Communities

Environmental Influences on Physical Activity in Rural Midwestern Adults

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