INTRODUCTION Parks are an integral part of a favorable built environment, and several studies have found a positive association between a favorable built environment and physical activity. Parks data are available to researchers from various sources; however, the accuracy of data sources in representing parks is unknown. This study compared secondary parks data obtained from a commercial vendor...

background: bromeliads can be epiphytic, terrestrial or saxicolous and use strategies to allow water to be re­tained in their leaf axils, where various arthropods can be found. these include mosquitoes, whose larvae are the most abundant and commonly found organisms in the leaf axils. the objective of this study was to look for im­mature forms of mosquitoes (the larval and pupal stages) in brom...

BACKGROUND Bromeliads can be epiphytic, terrestrial or saxicolous and use strategies to allow water to be retained in their leaf axils, where various arthropods can be found. These include mosquitoes, whose larvae are the most abundant and commonly found organisms in the leaf axils. The objective of this study was to look for immature forms of mosquitoes (the larval and pupal stages) in bromeli...

Urban parks are important settings for physical activity, but few natural experiments have investigated the influences of park modifications on activity patterns and visitor profiles.We assessed the impact of implementing a municipal policy on off-leash dogs in city parks in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). Systematic observation undertaken in 2011 and 2012 within four parks captured patterns of use,...

The purpose of this work was to investigate the sound environment of public parks using a soundscape study model that analyzes not only noise but also all the types of sound of a given area, as well as other environmental factors. To this end, acoustic measurements were made in the parks under study and interviews were held with their frequent visitors. Noise measurements were conducted in 55 p...

OBJECTIVES Canada is an increasingly urban nation, with considerable health inequities (HI) within its urban centres. While Canadian municipalities have a range of policy and planning levers that could reduce the burden of HI, little is known about how municipal employees perceive the capacities of municipal governments to address HI within their jurisdictions. This study sought to capture thes...

Dune systems along the southeastern shores of Lake Huron have become severely impacted as the result of increases in recreational activities and shoreline development. Dune conservation activities at Lake Huron’s provincial parks have occurred only within the past 20 to 25 years. Activities on dunes outside of the parks, including municipal and private lands, have only occurred within the last ...

Physical inactivity is a growing issue in Chinese youth, but parks can facilitate traditional and non-traditional forms of physical activity for little to no cost. Despite this opportunity, very little is known regarding park use among Chinese youth. The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional observational study of park usage and physical activity of youth in municipal parks in ...

CONTEXT Built environment-focused interventions and policies are recommended as sustainable approaches for promoting physical activity. Physical activity has not traditionally been considered in land use and transportation decision making. Effective collaboration with non-public health partners requires knowledge of their perceived barriers to such consideration. OBJECTIVE This analysis sough...