Urban park facility use and intensity of seniors’ physical activity – An examination combining accelerometer and GPS tracking

Abstract

Physical activity provides multiple health benefits to seniors, and urban parks are one of theprimary settings where seniors engage in physical activity. However, seniors’ park-based physical activity and their needs related to park environmental characteristics are not well understood. This study aimed to explore associations between the intensity of seniors’ physical activity during park visits and the types of park facilities (e.g. pathways, lawns) they use. We recruited seniors from two parks in Shanghai at the beginning of their park visits, and used accelerometers to assess instantaneous metabolic equivalent of energy (MET) along with GPS to track spatial locations of these activities at 10-second intervals. Data from 286 participants were included, and we examined time spent on ten different types of park facilities; these were: pathway wider than 3.5 m, pathway narrower than 3.5 m, large paved open space, small paved open space, sports area, children’s playground, lawn, water, other natural area, and building and other area. A multilevel logistic model was built with type of facility as the independent variable and instantaneous physical activity intensity as the outcome variable. We also applied stepwise regression analyses to examine the relationship between the proportion of time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), overall MET (dependent variable), and the proportion of time spent using different park facilities.The results showed the majority of participants self-reported that they visited urban parks almost every day. The accelerometer data indicated that on average, seniors spent 62.43% of their park visiting time engaging in MVPA. Use of pathways was positively associated with light or moderate-vigorous instantaneous activity intensity, the proportion of visit time spent engaging in MVPA, and overall MET during the visit. Compared to buildings and other areas, the use of paved open spaces, lawns, and other natural areas by seniors were all less likely to link to light or moderate-vigorous instantaneous activity intensity. Time spent on lawns was negatively related to the proportion of time engaged in MVPA. The attributes of being male, younger than 70 years old, and good health condition all related to higher activity intensity. These findings could provide implications for park design and management; in particular, more age-friendly design strategies, such as flat pavement and benches, should be applied to facilities preferred by seniors.