Purpose

COVID 19 has had a profound effect on peoples’ activities and the use of public spaces. Before the COVID 19 pandemic urban parks, as healthy places, were of the most favorable places for urban citizens, but nowadays no vitality is found in urban parks due to the absence of people. The perceived risk seems to affect peoples’ decision-making for the visit to urban parks. This study aims to examine the impact of COVID 19 perceived severity and vulnerability on peoples’ visit to the urban parks and further exercise avoidance. It is expected that the result of this study would shed light on the people’s perception of healthy urban parks to exercise during COVID 19.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants were recruited from a neighborhood with the greenest and largest parks in Iran that were selected for the study. It was to assure that participants have access to the urban parks within their walkable distance. The mixed-method approach was applied to achieving the research goals. A total of 404 participants attended the survey. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the strategies that reduce peoples’ worries about using urban parks during the COVID 19. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS.

Findings

The study hypothesized that peoples’ awareness of COVID 19 affects their perceived risk and disease prevention efficiency. Besides, it was hypothesized that perceived risk and efficacy effects outdoor activities worries exercise avoidance and behavioral avoidance in the urban parks. The result of the study supported the research hypothesis. The more knowledge people acquire of COVID 19 and the lack of efficacy of treatments, the higher they will avoid outdoor activities and exercise. The means of knowledge and perceived risk were higher than previously reported studies.

Originality/value

The result of this study is very important, as it statistically proves that peoples’ priorities and factors that affect their willingness to use public spaces are very much affected by their perception of a healthy environment. It also canonizes the role of facility managers in bringing peoples’ trust in the use of public spaces and more specifically urban parks during pandemic disease distributions.

中文翻译：

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COVID 19大流行期间感知风险和疾病预防效率对城市公园户外活动和回避行为的影响

目的

COVID 19 对人们的活动和公共空间的使用产生了深远的影响。在COVID 19大流行之前，城市公园作为健康场所，是城市居民最青睐的地方，但如今城市公园因人少而没有活力。感知风险似乎会影响人们参观城市公园的决策。本研究旨在检查 COVID 19 感知的严重性和脆弱性对人们参观城市公园和进一步避免运动的影响。预计这项研究的结果将阐明人们对健康的城市公园在 COVID 19 期间锻炼的看法。

设计/方法/方法

参与者是从伊朗最环保和最大公园的社区中招募的，这些社区被选为研究对象。这是为了确保参与者可以在步行距离内进入城市公园。混合方法被应用于实现研究目标。共有404名参与者参加了调查。进行了一系列半结构化访谈，以研究在 COVID 19 期间减少人们对使用城市公园的担忧的策略。使用 SmartPLS 分析数据。

发现

该研究假设人们对 COVID 19 的认识会影响他们感知的风险和疾病预防效率。此外，假设户外活动的感知风险和效果影响城市公园的运动回避和行为回避。研究结果支持了研究假设。人们对 COVID 19 的了解越多，治疗效果越差，他们就越会避免户外活动和锻炼。知识手段和感知风险高于先前报告的研究。

原创性/价值

这项研究的结果非常重要，因为它从统计上证明，人们的优先事项和影响他们使用公共空间意愿的因素在很大程度上受到他们对健康环境的看法的影响。它还规范了设施管理人员在大流行疾病传播期间使人们对公共空间，更具体地说是城市公园的使用产生信任方面的作用。