Industry Information Search: Literature Review:-
Introduction:
Health is one of the most valuable assets of human being and thus it is very important that people are more concerned and aware of various health issues and they should take measures for such problems. It is evident that regular exercise and physical activity is one of the most effective tools in reducing the mortality and the morbidity. The increase in exercise rate reduces the health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety/depression, colon cancer etc.
It is also evident that in present scenario, the leisure time has reduced as people are more involved and busy in their lives and thus the time for physical activity is reduced. In this assignment the perception and the use of public exercise stations in regional parks within the WA local council has been discussed. Here the role of public parks in increasing the physical activities and thus inducing improvements in the health of people has been addressed. Here the perception of the people in terms of the contribution of exercise stations in public parks has been identified.
Historical background:
In Australia, a number of public exercise trails and stations has been built in the late 1970s and 80s. The public exercise stations have been provided as recreational infrastructure. The main purpose of the government was to provide increase the community fitness level with the provision of these apparatus.
It can be said that such facilities or apparatus can be outdated at present and thus it is necessary that new exercise stations are provided in the park. Different initiatives by the government were taken in order to provide the public exercise stations and trails in the parks (Bedimo-Rung, Mowen & Cohen, 2005).
Theoretical or ideological viewpoint:
There are various indicators of the benefits of park that has been identified in numerous researches that are done previously by various researchers. The major benefits that are identified in these researches include the environmental, economic, social and individual benefits. The studies have not provided more attention on the health outcomes of the population and the provision of parks (Chow, 2013).
Here the physical activity in the park area can encompass four components which are intensity, duration, frequency, and the type of physical activity. Here the leisure time has been correlated with the physical activity that can be conducted in the park. In present times more emphasis is given to the benefits that can be received from the recreational activities in parks. It has been identified that the provision of exercise trails in parks can also lower the health-care cost and thus the physiological health benefits are identified here.
In the studies of neighbourhoods in Australia it was found that the walking was associated with the open spaces which made them more attractive to the joggers. They preferred the recreational facilities near their home than anywhere else. Thus it can be said that it is very important that the exercise trails are provided in every location and parks for the people (Cohen et al., 2007).
Now the potential relationship among the physical health benefits, physical activities in the park, park visitation, and environmental characteristics can be addressed. The provision of recreational activity can provide physical health benefits to the public. In 2000, a review of public exercise stations and trails was done by the ACT (National Heart Foundation of Australia – ACT Division, 2000).
The main findings of the survey included the condition of the trails and the user response to those trails and exercise units in the park. It was found that most of the trails were not managed and they also had inappropriate designs of the equipments. This increased the safety risk of the people (Evenson, Wen, Hillier & Cohen, 2013). In general it was found that there were not enough trails in the park and thus the number of users also lowered in the parks.
It is found in various research studies that the participation of public in physical and recreational activities is more related with the socio-economic, regional and demographic characteristics of the area. It is evident that metropolitan residents are more associated in the recreational works than the inner-city or poor population. Thus these things should be considered while providing the stations for the physical activity (Giles-Corti & Donovan, 2002).
The exercise stations and trails should be provided in a way so that it is available to each and everyone in the region and it should be provided in enough quantities. The visibility of the trails and exercise stations should encourage the people in using those stations.
In present research studies it is identified that physical activity can benefit in terms of various health problems like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, asthma etc. Thus the government has taken measures to provide ways that can increase the physical activities (Godbey, 2009).
There are various psychological benefits that can be received by provision of parks and recreational facilities as well. It has been established that various emotional, psychological and mental health benefits stem from the existence of parks. It is reported that stress reduction is one of the important benefits of the park.
When people spend longer hours in parks, it can reduce their stress and negative moods. In a national telephone survey of 1,300 households, people related parks with exercise, fitness, relaxation and peace. People place value on the parks even when it is not used by them. There are various social benefits of the parks as well. Parks can increase the social capacity of meeting someone and it increases the social capacity (Lipton, 2006).
It can also increase the recreational and physical activity in a more friendly and social environment. The trails and exercise stations can also be beneficial for an economy. These facilities can create a healthy environment in the economy and thus the cost of health issues are reduces. When there is a park present in a locality that can also increase the value of property in that region.
Children and adult obesity is one of the major issues that are faced in present condition. In developed countries, obesity has been identified as one of the major causes of death. Obesity can lead to major diseases and thus individual behaviour can also affect the quality of life and the longevity of people. In Australia people are lesser physically active and thus it is important that they are given the opportunity and means to be involved in recreational and physical activities.
Outdoor recreation is also necessary for children’s health as there can be two major health consequences that can be seen due to insufficient physical activity. These are attention deficit hyperactive disorder and obesity. The prevalence of obesity in Australia is increasing for the past 30 years. In 2011-12, around 60% of the adult population was found to be obese. In 2007, around 25% of the children aged 2-16 were obese.
The direct total cost of obesity was found to be $21 billion in 2005 according to the data from Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle study (Nhmrc.gov.au, 2014).
In this research study, the main questions that are being explored include the perception of people towards the exercise stations. It is important to investigate what are the behaviour and attitude of the people in terms of recreational and physical activities in the parks and how their behaviour can be changed if appropriate equipments are provided to them in the parks (Schmalz, Hallo, Griffin, Kusch & Arce, 2013).
Methods and methodologies:
At first the park needs to be selected in the area. Here 8 parks were selected in the WA Local Councils area. After that a sample of 1200 households can be selected for conducting the research study. The households were selected within the 2 mile radius of the park. The data is collected by using 2 methods.
First is the observation method and the second is the interview method. Here systematic observation can be very effective for observing the frequency of usage of parks and recreational activities and an idea can be generated. The second method is household interview method where a direct interaction with the users can be done.
A brief questionnaire can also be presented to the participants (Senior & Townsend, 2005). It can help gaining more information and perception of the people towards the recreational facility and the provision of exercise machines and trails in the park.
Conclusion:
In conclusion it can be said that parks play a critical role in the benefits of individuals. It is seen that parks and recreational facilities not only provides the required health benefits but it also has psychological, environmental, social and economical benefits. In this research study the main aim is given on the perception of people towards the recreational activities and the provision of physical utilities in the regional parks within the WA local councils.
It has been established that lesser physical activity can lead to severe problems and that also imposes a cost to the society and the economy thus the initiative has been taken here for motivating people for involving in more exercise and physical activities in order to maintain and prevent the health issues of the people. It is expected that the measures will successfully benefit the people in the local region and more people will participate in the recreational activities in the park.
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