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Citation |
Rung AL, Broyles ST, Mowen AJ, Gustat J, Sothern MS. Disasters 2011; 35(2): 383-403. |
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Affiliation |
Epidemiology Program, Louisiana State University School of Public Health, United States; Population Science, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, United States; Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, The Pennsylvania State University, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, United States; Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Program, Louisiana State University School of Public Health, United States. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
21073509 |
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Abstract |
Neighborhood parks may serve as a coping resource in post-disaster communities, yet little is known about the impact of large-scale disasters on park use. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) on park use by visitors from flooded areas of New Orleans, Louisiana, compared to visitors from non-flooded areas. In 2006 and 2007, following Hurricane Katrina, 201 adults who visited 27 New Orleans parks were interviewed. Visitors from flooded neighborhoods used their parks less often and were less likely to engage in animal interaction than visitors from non-flooded neighborhoods. They placed more importance on escape and physically-active motivations than visitors from non-flooded areas. Social reasons were also more important to visitors from flooded areas, but these differences disappeared after adjusting for race. Neighborhood parks are a community asset that may play a role in the post-disaster recovery process by providing opportunities for escape and physical activity. Language: en |