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Using Parks to Improve Children's Health " Park prescriptions " are gaining popularity as researchers learn more about the benefits of spending time in nature. There's more to learn, however, about the ways in which nature imparts these benefits and the " dose " of nature required to achieve them.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the risk of acquiring disease from popular Sierra Nevada wilderness area lakes and streams. This study examines the relative risk factors for harmful waterborne microorganisms using coliforms as an indicator. METHODS Water was collected in the backcountry Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks and neighboring wilderness areas. A total o...

Civil wars are frequent in lesser-developed nations, wherein is harbored a disproportionate share of the world's biodiversity. These wars have had serious detrimental effects, direct and indirect, on conservation programs. From 2001 to 2005, we conducted site visits, personal interviews, and document searches bearing upon this problem as exemplified by Nepal's ongoing Maoist insurgency. Cases o...

Tensions are generated by the inevitable presence of dogs accompanying humans in cities. Built-up outdoor areas, spaces that are "in between" the home and dog parks, are widely frequented by dogs and their owners. The present case study, performed in Lyon (France), is the first to provide a description of these dyads in areas that vary according to terrain, district, dog legislation and use in ...

EDWARD A. MEYER, HARRY B. HINES, CONRAD J. HOSKIN & KEITH R. McDONALD School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing, Moggill, Queensland 4070, Australia School of Marine & Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia...

OBJECTIVES Parks provide places for people to experience nature, engage in physical activity, and relax. We studied how residents in low-income, minority communities use public, urban neighborhood parks and how parks contribute to physical activity. METHODS In 8 public parks, we used direct observation to document the number, gender, race/ethnicity, age group, and activity level of park users...

BACKGROUND There has been a growing interest in environmental initiatives to reduce sedentary behaviour. A few existing studies on this topic are mostly cross-sectional, focused on the general adult population, and examining neighbourhood walkability. This study examined associations of perceived environmental attributes with change in TV viewing time over seven years among older Australian adu...

In this study, the effluent reuse potential of 39 industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Taiwan was evaluated using grey relation analysis. A significant, consistent result was revealed. The WWTPs with the lowest reuse potential among 39 industrial parks were in the order: Gueishan, Tucheng, Nankang WWTPs. The WWTPs with highest reuse potential were as follow: Yungan > Tafa > Fongsha...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between adolescents' physical activity practice and their perception about the environment of urban parks. METHODS A school-based representative sample (n = 1,718; boys = 40.4%) of teenagers of Curitiba, Southern region of Brazil. A questionnaire was employed to identify perceived parks environmental features as well as phys...