Objective and perceived proximity to parks in relation to physical activity within parks

Urban parks serve as important venues for promoting physical activity. This study aimed to examine the associations between both perceived and objective proximity to parks and within-park physical activity (PA) across different intensity levels among urban park users.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in four urban parks in Beijing, China. A total of 399 park users completed questionnaires assessing perceived proximity, demographic characteristics, and within-park physical activity. Objective proximity was measured as Euclidean distance from participants' residences to park centers using the Geographic Information Systems. Multilevel linear regression models were used to examine the associations between perceived and objective proximity and different intensities of within-park PA while controlling for sociodemographic covariates, with bootstrap methods employed for non-normally distributed outcomes.

Moderate correspondence was found between perceived and objective proximity measures. Both proximity measures demonstrated significant negative associations with moderate-intensity PA and walking within parks, with exploratory spline analyses indicating that these associations gradually weakened at greater distances beyond approximately 1 mile. No significant associations were found between either proximity measure and vigorous-intensity PA within parks. Although both perceived and objective proximity were associated with within-park PA, these relationships varied across different intensity levels.

These findings suggest that proximity may play a more important role in promoting moderate-intensity activities and walking within parks, while for vigorous-intensity activities, factors beyond park distance may be more relevant considerations.