A Study On The Impact Of Urban Park Features On Physical Activity Of The Elderly

At present,China’s ageing population is the largest in the world in terms of number and growth rate.As the ageing process continues to evolve,physical inactivity is becoming a major threat to the health of the elderly.With the rapid development of urbanisation in China,the contradiction between the urban space environment and the usage behaviour needs of the elderly is becoming evident.Creating an urban space that caters to the elderly and encourages their physical activity is of utmost significance.Urban parks play a crucial role in the daily lives of the elderly and significantly contribute to their physical and mental wellbeing by promoting physical activity.Therefore,the construction of urban parks that meet the needs of the elderly population and are suitable for their use is a very important part of the construction of an age-friendly society and is of great practical importance.This study uses literature,questionnaires,field research and mathematical statistics to investigate the physical activity of elderly users in parks and to obtain data on the frequency,duration and intensity of physical activity;to construct an evaluation system of urban park features and to obtain users’ satisfaction ratings of the environmental features of urban parks;to investigate the correlation between park features and physical activity and to identify the main park features that affect elderly users.The following conclusions were drawn from the study:(1)The physical activity intensity of older people is insufficient,and the physical activity of older people who engage in activities in parks is mainly of low to medium intensity,with a lack of high-intensity physical activity.(2)Park trails and leisure facilities are the most common park facilities used by elderly users.The construction of age-friendly urban parks should focus on the configuration and maintenance of park trails and leisure facilities.(3)Among the satisfaction scores of various park dimensions,park landscape and sports and leisure facilities have low scores and need to be further optimised and improved.(4)Plant richness,lawn area,resting facilities,width of fitness trails and air quality are the main factors affecting the physical activity of elderly users.Among them,plant richness,lawn area and sitting facilities are positive factors influencing the frequency of physical activity,lawn area and sitting facilities are positive factors influencing the length of physical activity,and width of fitness trail and air quality are positive factors influencing the intensity of physical activity.