Abstract
Previous studies have shown that natural environments and leisure activities can reduce depression and increase well-being. Urban parks are important for the psychological well-being of middle-aged and older adults. However, it remains unknown whether the relationship between environmental perceptions, leisure activity, and well-being is affected by the quality of park environments. This study uses a cross-level framework to examine the effects of urban park quality on middle-aged and older adults’ environmental perceptions, leisure activity, and well-being. The Neighborhood Green Space Tool was used to assess the environmental quality of 19 parks, and 380 individuals aged 55 years and older were interviewed in each park using an on-site questionnaire. The results reveal that the associations between environmental perception and well-being were moderated by the quality of park accessibility, amenities, and incivilities; the effect of environmental perception on depression was moderated by the quality of incivilities in parks; and the effect of frequency of leisure activities on depression was moderated by the quality of park accessibility.
Highlights
Under the global trend of urbanization and rapid population growth, nearly 80% of Taiwan’s population lives in urban areas [1]
The results reveal that the associations between environmental perception and well-being were moderated by the quality of park accessibility, amenities, and incivilities; the effect of environmental perception on depression was moderated by the quality of incivilities in parks; and the effect of frequency of leisure activities on depression was moderated by the quality of park accessibility
The results show that the interaction between the quality of park amenities and the environmental perceptions of the participants had a negative moderating effect on life satisfaction, representing the positive effect of environmental perceptions on life satisfaction, which decreases as the quality of park amenities increases; the quality of park amenities does not predict the life satisfaction
Summary
Under the global trend of urbanization and rapid population growth, nearly 80% of Taiwan’s population lives in urban areas [1]. With this growth of urbanization, human recreational needs are increasing. With the rapid aging of the population in recent years, the number of older people living in urban areas has been increasing, and the demographic structure of urban areas is very different from that of the past [3]. The natural environment can bring many physical and psychological restorative benefits to humans, the sensory loss caused by aging affects the leisure activity patterns and psychobiological health of the older population, but it may affect environmental perception and restorative experiences [5]
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