Citation

Fan Y, French SA, Das KV. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2012; 43(5): 520-526.

Affiliation

Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Electronic address: yingling@umn.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2012.07.021

PMID

23079175

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasingly diversified family structure in the U.S., little research examines differences in park use between nontraditional and traditional family structures. PURPOSE: This study examines family-structure differences in parent park use. It was hypothesized that working single parents and dual-worker parents have lower levels of park use than parents in two-parent, single-worker families. METHODS: Data from a 2010 park-use survey in three urban neighborhoods in Minneapolis MN (N=261 parents) were analyzed in 2012. Multiple variables of park use were developed, including recalled measures over the past 3 days and over the past year. Family-structure differences in these variables were examined using multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: After controlling for spatial clustering effects and confounding factors, working single parents reported 32.6% (p<0.10) fewer park visits and 62.0% (p<0.05) less time spent in parks in the past 3 days than parents in two-parent, single-worker families. Dual-worker parents did not report fewer park visits in the past 3 days than parents in two-parent, single-worker families, yet the length of time they spent in parks during these visits was 41.5% (p<0.10) less. Family-structure differences in past-year park-use measures were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This research shows the importance of including family-structure variables and both recent and longer-term recalled measures of park use in park-use studies. Greater attention to the recreation needs of working single parents and dual-worker parents is needed in descriptive and intervention research aiming to promote park use among families with children.

Language: en