title: Park-Use Behavior and Perceptions by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Immigrant Status in Minneapolis, MN: Implications on Park Strategies for Addressing Health Disparities.
abstract: The study examines the connections between minority status, park use behavior, and park-related perceptions using recent survey data from three low-income neighborhoods in Minneapolis, MN. Blacks and foreign-born residents are found to underutilize parks. Blacks, Asians, and American Indians perceive fewer health benefits of parks than whites, including the benefits of parks for providing exercise/relaxation opportunities and family gathering spaces. Foreign-born residents, blacks, and Hispanics perceive greater and unique barriers to park use in terms of not feeling welcome, cultural and language restrictions, program schedule and pricing concerns, and/or facility maintenance and mismatch concerns. When designing park strategies for addressing health disparities, we recommend to focus the efforts on increasing awareness of park-related health benefits and removing specific park use barriers among minority and foreign-born communities.
authors.affiliation: Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Avenue South, 295E Humphrey School, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Kirti V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Avenue South, 295E Humphrey School, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. yingling@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Yingling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Simone A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: French
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000068316:Parks, Recreational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010465:Perception; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Behavior; Ethnicity; Health disparities; Health equity; Immigrant; Minority; Parks; Perceptions; Race