PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Park amenities differ according to income of neighborhoods

Park amenities differ according to income of neighborhoods
2013-03-21
(Press-News.org) COLUMBIA, Mo. – Every community in America has its share of parks. However, park amenities in certain communities can be lacking, which can be detrimental to the health of potential patrons. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that while more parks exist in lower-income neighborhoods, they tend to be less attractive than parks in upper- and middle-class neighborhoods, which have more amenities and are more visually pleasing.

"Parks are important for physical activity and socialization among community members," said Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at MU. "However, our research suggests that resources are not always distributed equitably."

In the study, which was completed in Kansas City, Mo., the research team found that lower-income areas had more parks, but fewer amenities such as playgrounds. Parks in high-minority areas had more basketball courts and fewer trails while middle-class areas had more aesthetic features such as water features or decorative landscaping. Wilhelm Stanis completed the study with Katherine Vaughan from Kansas State University and Andrew Kaczynski, assistant professor at the University of South Carolina.

The researchers also examined the proportion of parks with adjacent sidewalks and found that low- and high-income areas had a higher proportion of parks with adjacent sidewalks compared to medium-income areas.

"Sidewalks are an important predictor of how much exercise the local population engages in and how safely and easily patrons can access resources in the neighborhood," Kaczynski said. "The absence of such amenities around parks should not be ignored."

According to previous research, sidewalks in lower income areas tend to be more uneven and often have obstructions making them difficult to access. Quality concerns and fewer aesthetic features can lead to poorer perceptions and actual problems related to park attractiveness and safety, which can deter park visitation and use, Wilhelm Stanis said.

"Previous studies show that certain features, such as playgrounds and trails, are important for physical activity," she said. "We do believe that more research is needed to examine how disparities in park environments are associated with activity levels and health outcomes."

The study reviewed 219 parks in four counties, covering 313 square miles in the Kansas City, Mo. region. Following the study, Wilhelm-Stanis said that the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department have added playgrounds and trails to numerous parks through the region, including those in low income neighborhoods. The study was published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine, a journal of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.



INFORMATION:

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is located in the School of Natural Resources at MU.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Park amenities differ according to income of neighborhoods

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Planck's new map brings universe into focus

2013-03-21
The Planck space mission has today (March 21) released the most accurate and detailed map ever made of the oldest light in the universe. The universe according to Planck is expanding a bit more slowly than thought, and at 13.8 billion is 100 million years older than previously estimated. There is a bit less dark energy and a bit more of both normal and dark matter in the universe — although the nature of dark energy and dark matter remain mysterious. "Planck's high-precision map of the oldest light in our universe allows us to extract the most refined values yet of the ...

Physical therapy as effective as surgery for torn meniscus and arthritis of the knee

2013-03-21
Alexandria, VA, March 21, 2013 — A New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) study showing that physical therapy is just as effective as surgery in patients with meniscal tears and arthritis of the knee should encourage many health care providers to reconsider their practices in the management of this common injury, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The study, published March 19, showed no significant differences in functional improvement after 6 months between patients who underwent surgery with postoperative physical therapy and those who received ...

Archerfish get an eye test

2013-03-21
Dr Shelby Temple, now at the University of Bristol, and his team at the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia used a modified version of the Landolt C test to discover just how fine a detail the archerfish could resolve. The researchers first trained the fish to spit at one of two letters – an 'O' or a 'C' – by rewarding them with food. Then they showed them small versions of both letters together and recorded which letter they spat at. Dr Temple said: "This modified Landolt C test works because the only difference between the two letters ...

Quantum computers counting on carbon nanotubes

Quantum computers counting on carbon nanotubes
2013-03-21
Using quantum mechanical phenomena, computers could be much more powerful than their classical digital predecessors. Scientists all over the world are working to explore the basis for quantum computing. To date most systems are based on electrically charged particles that are held in an "electromagnetic trap." A disadvantage of these systems is that they are very sensitive to electromagnetic interference and therefore need extensive shielding. Physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have now found a way for information to be stored and quantum mechanically processed ...

Discovery could increase efficacy of promising cystic fibrosis drug

Discovery could increase efficacy of promising cystic fibrosis drug
2013-03-21
A little more than a year after the FDA approved Kalydeco (Vx-770), the first drug of its kind to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, University of Missouri researchers believe they have found exactly how this drug works and how to improve its effectiveness in the future. Described in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, MU researchers have redefined a key regulatory process in the defective protein responsible for cystic fibrosis that could change the way scientists approach the lethal genetic disease. "They know the drug ...

The Seven Star Global Luxury Awards has Confirmed their Final Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Nominees; With Voting Now Open to the Public and Trade...

The Seven Star Global Luxury Awards has Confirmed their Final Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Nominees; With Voting Now Open to the Public and Trade...
2013-03-21
The Seven Star Global Luxury Awards continues to gain momentum with online voting already exceeding expectations after only a few weeks. With the most sought-after brands in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries vying to be honored with the Signum Virtutis - the seal of excellence, being bestowed upon them for 2013; competition is becoming fierce on a global scale. The results will be revealed at the Awards Ceremony; honoring this elite collection of nominees with this highest and most exclusive award for being the pinnacle of luxury and lifestyle in these ...

Warm springs may be best winter refuge for Florida manatees

Warm springs may be best winter refuge for Florida manatees
2013-03-21
During the winter, manatees in Florida rely on warm-water refuges in the southern peninsula, and consistently return to one more specific areas. This new study assessed the proportion of manatees that use natural springs, power plant discharge areas, and passive 'thermal basins' that trap warm water for a week or more. They found that nearly half of all animals they counted sought out power plant outfalls for warmth, while approximately 17% chose warm springs. In the coldest periods the proportion at power plants can increase to two-thirds. Despite this relatively small ...

3-year olds know rules of sharing but don't follow them until older

2013-03-21
The authors note, "People who spend time with young children will know that they often favor themselves when sharing, but surprisingly they endorse equal sharing not just by other people but also in their own case. In our research, we were able to rule out a number of explanations for this early gap between word and deed." When the researchers gave 3-8-year-olds stickers they valued and asked them about sharing, children of all ages readily asserted that they themselves should share equally, and others should as well. However, when given the chance to actually share, ...

Fear factor increases, emotions decrease in books written in last 50 years

2013-03-21
The authors analyzed trends in the use of 'mood words' that convey joy, anger, fear and other emotions and found a general, overall decrease in the use of words that convey emotions. They found distinct historical periods of positive and negative moods in books that correlated with socio-political events like World War II, the Great Depression or the Baby Boom. In contrast to the five other moods studied, words that convey fear showed an opposite trend. Words conveying fear declined in use through the early 20th century but increased markedly since the 1970s, despite ...

Roman mausoleum tested for ancient earthquake damage

2013-03-21
Please cite the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA) as the source of this information. Built under a sheer cliff, with a commanding view of the forum and castle in the ancient city of Pinara in Turkey, a Roman mausoleum has been knocked off-kilter, its massive building blocks shifted and part of its pediment collapsed. The likely cause is an earthquake, according to a new detailed model by Klaus-G. Hinzen and colleagues at the University of Cologne. They conclude that a 6.3 magnitude earthquake could have caused the damage, and their new finding gives ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

[Press-News.org] Park amenities differ according to income of neighborhoods