Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in Public Health

Abstract:

There is inconclusive evidence regarding the degree that trails improve health and wellness. This paper describes which research variables are argued to provide a more thorough analysis of this inquiry. Documenting context-specific variables such as park proximity, duration of trail use, accounting for exercise at non-trail locations, among other factors, are purported to provide more robust interpretation and analysis for this research topic. Park and recreation practitioners are in tune with the dynamics of communities and can help researchers identify which variables to include in cross-sectional research measuring the degree that trails influence health. The purpose of this paper is to outline the 2017 Indiana Trails Study; a context-specific study carried out by park and recreation practitioners. The implication from this paper is that future research can use the contents described here to identify which context-specific variables provide more accurate measurements for this type of public health research.