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Park-Use Behavior and Perceptions by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Immigrant Status in Minneapolis, MN: Implications on Park Strategies for Addressing Health Disparities

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Avenue South, 295E Humphrey School, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Kirti V. Das & Yingling Fan

  2. School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Simone A. French

Authors
  1. Kirti V. Das
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  2. Yingling Fan
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  3. Simone A. French
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Correspondence to Yingling Fan.

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Das, K.V., Fan, Y. & French, S.A. Park-Use Behavior and Perceptions by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Immigrant Status in Minneapolis, MN: Implications on Park Strategies for Addressing Health Disparities. J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 318–327 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0339-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0339-1

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