Performing Department
Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension
Non Technical Summary
People engage in recreation in hopes of receiving beneficial outcomes. The desired outcomes, and how best to achieve them, will vary by individuals. Recreation managers can enhance the opportunities for individuals to realize their desired benefits. Recreation can also provide social, environmental, and economic benefits to communities. Crucial to maximizing individual and community benefits is understanding the benefits desired and how potential management actions could positively or negatively impact attainment. This project seeks to examinethe relationship between attainment of benefits and recreation area site characteristics. The expected impacts of this project are: 1) increased effectiveness of recreation managers to provide benefits to the public, and 2) healthier individuals, and 3) increased community vibrancy.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
1. Demonstrate and expand the evidence for the role of park and outdoor recreation services in promoting physical activity and associated preventative health benefits, particularly among youth.
Project Methods
Greenspace utilization (frequency of use, duration of use, activities, etc.), health benefits desired and attained, and constraints to increasing rates of physical activity will be assessed from responses to visitor surveys and general population surveys.Meta-analysis of existing studies will be performed to examine factors that influence attainment of benefits. Factor analysis will be used to assess the validity of questions that have been implemented to measure benefit desirability and attainment. Cluster analysis will be used to understand differences and similarities across recreationists.