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Outdoor Fitness Equipment Biography

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The growing amount of outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) placed in parks in many countries has the intent of encouraging physical activity among aging populations. However, little investigated aspects are the perceptions and experiences of older adults regarding the use of these facilities. Hence, this study seeks senior OFE users’ opinions to understand the exact nature of use of these facilities, the perceived health benefits achieved, and equipment’s improvements that would further encourage use.Study results suggest that although OFE use is not the main purpose for which seniors visit parks, most seniors perceive the benefit of using OFE in terms of both physical and psychological health, as well as social connection. Respondents also raised issues related to safety, maintenance, and management of OFE.OFE appears to meet the health needs of seniors, but improved management is necessary to ensure safety. Further research would reveal the actual behavior involving OFE use and use’s relationship to the physical activity of seniors.

In response to worldwide aging populations , many efforts have attempted to improve the health and quality of life of older adults such as “active aging” promoted by the World Health Origination to increase physical activity among seniors . A plethora of research has proven that regular physical activity contributes both positive and preventive factors for maintaining health in older adults including physiology [6-10], psychology [11] and cognitive benefits . Despite scientific evidence, the number of older adults participating regularly in physical activities remains low in many countries .

Recently, the socio-ecological model has attempted to explain behavior related to physical-activity among general populations. Marcus and Forsyth indicated that environmental designs and policies are much more effective than programs in terms of sustainability and reaching populations to influence the public’s level of physical activity. Therefore, knowing how to improve the environment to encourage seniors to participate in physical activities is essential.

Since parks’ locations, usually in nearby neighborhoods, are either free or low-cost to visitors, and are accessible, recognition of parks’ importance as settings for physical activities has increased among those with interest for encouraging health. Parks, widely used by a surrounding community, are particular favorites of older adults who have limited mobility .

Factors influencing older adults’ visits to parks include accessibility , perceptions of safety , presence of facilities , park size , things to watch , events to attend , and maintenance However, studies also show that despite frequently visiting parks, older adults, more so than younger visitors, usually engage in more sedentary activities, such as chatting with friends, sitting and resting, or watching others . Kaczynski observed 33 parks in Canada and found that use of parks for physical activities is more likely at those with more features/facilities, while factors such as size, distance, and amenities were not significantly predictive. Few studies, however, have investigated how specific features in a park affect seniors’ physical activity.

In many Asian countries, including China and South Korea, outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) in parks has become very popular. According to Chow , more than half of the parks in Taipei city and Tainan city have installed OFE. Although the use of such equipment is not high on other continents, countries such as Spain , Portugal , and the United States reported rapid increases in the amount of this type of equipment in parks and in the market for outdoor fitness machines.

With the appearance and growth of OFE, whose designs and shapes are similar to those found in gyms, parks with such equipment have gained specific identifications, such as Fitness Zones , senior playgrounds , or geriatric parks . The latter two names indicate the equipment’s designs have specific application for older people.

Despite the availability of OFE for seniors, little research has considered older adults’ perceptions of, and experiences with, using this equipment. Whether or not OFE meets the needs of older adults, the details surrounding its use remain unclear. As Cohen asserted, more research needs to investigate which characteristics and conditions of parks promote the greatest physical activity and utilization. Therefore, this study interviewed seniors who are current users of OFE in an effort to understand the exact nature of use of these facilities, the perceived health benefits achieved, and equipment’s improvements that would encourage use. This study can assist discovering seniors’ perception of, and needs for, OFE, thereby providing insight contributing to the planning and design of parks to improve park-based physical activity among older adults.

Methods

Since little research, which on seniors’ perceptions of using OFE in parks exists, qualitative research is appropriate for eliciting useful, in-depth information leading to understanding individual attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions within a culture . This study obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of National Cheng Kung University Hospital (ER-99-375) for the research and its specific protocol. The following subsections detail descriptions of the methodology for conducting the qualitative approach.

Data collection

Study area

The qualitative fieldwork began with several preliminary on-site periods of observation at several parks in the five districts in Tainan city, with the intent of exploring the patterns of OFE used in the parks. Based on the list of parks provided by Tainan city government and an earlier field observational project in each park during January 2012 to May 2012, 86 parks of 132 (65%) in Tainan had installed OFE . To best represent a wider spectrum of parks’ attributes in terms of sizes, locations, neighborhood demographics (i.e. population and proportion of older adults), and socioeconomic status (i.e. poverty rate) led to selection of two parks: Dongning Park and Xihu park. Table 1 summarizes these parks’ attributes, neighborhood characteristics, and older population’s demographics. A comparison of two parks reveals that Dongning Park is a larger facility near a low density of an older population (17.6%) and a neighborhood of relatively high socioeconomic status, and Xihu park, which is small, in an area with a high density of aging population (28.1%) and a relatively disadvantaged socioeconomic status. The two parks which were the sites for the interviews, each had six pieces of OFE equipment (Figure 1). Since weather greatly influences outdoor behavior, climate information at the study sites is: The mean temperature in Tainan city, is 24.3 Celsius, with an average of 87.4 rainy days per year (number of days with precipitation?>?=0.1 mm) and a mean relative humidity of 77.2% .

BOISE -- A new outdoor gym was unveiled on Thursday at the northeast corner of Ann Morrison Park, just along the greenbelt near 1000 Americana Boulevard.

The new gym dedication featured comments from the following speakers, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, Bodybuilding.com CEO Ryan DeLuca, and Doug Holloway, Boise Parks and Recreation Director. This dedication coincides with Idaho Health and Yoga Awareness Week.

The 15-pieces of weather-proof equipment was donated by Bodybuilding.com and is Boise's first ever outdoor gym. Most of the exercise equipment will be movable, and make use of body-weight resistance.

Gym equipment includes:

leg press

horizontal ladder

plyo boxes

back extension

combo press & pull

show board

pull-up and dip station

step & twist

parallel bars

squat press

s-shaped jump bar