Search Results (11)

With the development of the economy and improvements in living standards, public demand for sports activities has continued to increase. However, the supply–demand relationship of urban sports venues remains unbalanced in many cities. Existing theoretical research on the spatial allocation of sports venues predominantly focuses on macro-level functional configuration and the equitable distribution of sports resources, lacking more rigorous and quantitative evaluation frameworks for evaluating spatial allocation. This study innovatively integrates multi-source data into the assessment and sustainable optimization of sports venue allocation in urban planning, using Xi’an as a case study. By analyzing geographic information, road network topology, OpenStreetMap (OSM), population distribution, and social media Points of Interest (POI), and using analytical tools such as ArcGIS 10.8 and Stata 17, the appropriateness of resource distribution of public sports venues in Xi’an’s main urban area is evaluated from three dimensions: accessibility, equity, and spatial activity. The results reveal the appropriateness of venue distribution in urban spatial allocation, the equitable distribution of resources, and imbalances in spatial activity and resource distribution. Finally, the study proposes a series of sustainable optimization strategies, including increasing venue coverage in low-supply areas, adaptive reuse of idle industrial buildings into sports venues guided by green sustainability principles, constructing a “15-min fitness circle” spatial system, optimizing low-carbon mobility networks around venues, enhancing the compatibility of sports venues, and improving commercial operation and management capabilities. These strategies aim to optimize the distribution of public sports venues in Xi’an to improve fairness and operational efficiency in service delivery while promoting sustainable urban development. Full article

In the context of healthy China, the study of the spatial distribution characteristics of urban sports venues is not only beneficial to planning the construction of sports venues in cities, but also to the health protection of urban residents. Therefore, to promote a fair and scientific approach to constructing public fitness sites in the city and meet the needs of urban residents’ fitness activities, this study targeted public fitness sites larger than 10 m² in the main urban area of Jinan City to study spatial distribution characteristics and accessibility. We combine the traffic road network and other data and use spatial and buffer zone analyses to assess the sites from the perspective of different travel modes of urban residents. The results show that the public fitness venues in the main urban area are mainly concentrated centrally; there is no significant pattern between the construction of venue area and population. For the time range of 0–15 min, Lixia District has the highest ratio of public fitness venue service area for walking, cycling, and car travel, with 22.54%, 62.25%, and 100%, respectively, and Changqing District has the lowest. In terms of travel mode, the highest service area ratio is 62.7% for car travel, followed by 28.7% for cycling, and 7.7% for walking. It is concluded that the construction of public fitness venues in Jinan has an unbalanced layout, does not fully consider the population factor, and different modes of travel have a significant impact on accessibility. It is therefore suggested that the government should increase public fitness venue construction in the areas surrounding the main city; moreover, future planning of urban public fitness venues should fully consider the distribution characteristics of population quantity and age in each area. Finally, the main travel mode characteristics of urban residents should also be considered to promote the future scientific development of urban public fitness venue construction. Full article

In the context of the Healthy China initiative, studying the spatial distribution characteristics of urban sports venues will benefit sports venue planning in cities and promote the health of urban residents. Therefore, considering the main urban area of Dalian City as the study area, in this study, we investigated the spatial distribution characteristics of fitness venues and their accessibility through spatial and buffer zone analyses using data of public fitness venues, school sports venues, and the traffic road network. The conclusion is as follows: (1) In Zhongshan, Xigang, and Shahekou Districts, public fitness venues are more densely distributed in non-coastal areas. (2) Within 0–15 min, Xigang District showed the highest ratio of the public fitness venue service area (24.42%), which was followed by Shahekou (19.02%), Zhongshan (17.13%), and Ganjingzi Districts (4.82%). (3) The number of sports venues increased from 272 to 1117 when school sports venues were considered. Due to this, the service area ratio of fitness venues in all districts was increased, and the ranking was also changed. After this, Shahekou District had the highest ratio of the sports and fitness venue service area (55.65%), which was followed by Xigang (48.43%), Zhongshan (35.68%), and Ganjingzi Districts (11.91%). Therefore, solutions to introduce more school sports venues should be investigated to ensure a uniform spatial distribution of urban fitness venues. This study provides a reference to plan and develop fitness venues in cities. Full article

Urban parks are important places for residents to engage in physical activity (PA). Properly designed fitness facilities play a positive role in the PA level of park users. We conducted a quantitative evaluation of urban park systems based on the revised Chinese version of ParkScore (RCPS) from the perspective of national fitness. Baoji, one of the first National Ecological Garden Cities (NEGCs), was selected as a case study. We analyzed 19 parks and found that comprehensive parks and sports parks obtained high evaluation scores. The area of fitness facilities in Baoji urban parks was low, with an average of 1.85 hm² per park. Professional sports venues and multifunctional sports venues each accounted for about one-third and children’s activity venues for about a quarter. There were many national fitness stations, but they covered a small area. Only 16% of parks had fitness trails, which was the least represented type of fitness facility. About 40% of the parks had children’s activity venues, with a 1:2 ratio of PA venue to amusement area. The area of free open venues accounted for only 0.1% of the total area of the parks. The number of parks per capita was about 52% of the overall NEGCs, accessibility of 500 m was 34%, and of 1000 m was about 54%. Overall, we found that the supply of Baoji urban parks was insufficient. These results directly reflect differences among fitness facilities in urban parks and can help form a quantitative basis for the optimization of urban park systems and advance the national fitness plan and promote public health. Full article

Fitness is an important way to ensure the health of the population, and it is important to actively understand fitness behavior. Although social media Weibo data (the Chinese Tweeter) can provide multidimensional information in terms of objectivity and generalizability, there is still more latent potential to tap. Based on Sina Weibo social media data in the year 2017, this study was conducted to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of urban residents’ different fitness behaviors and related influencing factors within the Fifth Ring Road of Beijing. FastAI, LDA, geodetector technology, and GIS spatial analysis methods were employed in this study. It was found that fitness behaviors in the study area could be categorized into four types. Residents can obtain better fitness experiences in sports venues. Different fitness types have different polycentric spatial distribution patterns. The residents’ fitness frequency shows an obvious periodic distribution (weekly and 24 h). The spatial distribution of the fitness behavior of residents is mainly affected by factors, such as catering services, education and culture, companies, and public facilities. This research could help to promote the development of urban residents’ fitness in Beijing. Full article

Recent research indicates that Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals carry more information than oxygen saturation level (SpO2) and can be utilized for affordable, fast, and noninvasive healthcare applications. All these encourage the researchers to estimate its feasibility as an alternative to many expansive, time-wasting, and invasive methods. This systematic review discusses the current literature on diagnostic features of PPG signal and their applications that might present a potential venue to be adapted into many health and fitness aspects of human life. The research methodology is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines 2020. To this aim, papers from 1981 to date are reviewed and categorized in terms of the healthcare application domain. Along with consolidated research areas, recent topics that are growing in popularity are also discovered. We also highlight the potential impact of using PPG signals on an individual’s quality of life and public health. The state-of-the-art studies suggest that in the years to come PPG wearables will become pervasive in many fields of medical practices, and the main domains include cardiology, respiratory, neurology, and fitness. Main operation challenges, including performance and robustness obstacles, are identified. Full article

The study of the spatial-temporal pattern and social performance of urban public services is a basic task for achieving urban fairness and justice. Through spatial analysis and social performance evaluation, this study explores the evolution of spatial-temporal patterns and the social performance of community sports and fitness venues in Shanghai from 1982 to 2019. The results show that the construction of Shanghai’s community sports and fitness venues presents the evolution pattern of “urbanization-suburbanization-reurbanization”. The center of construction has always been in the urban area and first moved toward the south and then toward the north. Government investment was the main source of funds for the construction of venues, and social investment has been steadily growing. The number and area of multiple types of venues has increased significantly, including trails, gymnasiums, and courts. The overall service coverage radius of Shanghai’s community sports and fitness venues has been significantly increased, and the regional equality between the core and peripheral areas has been obviously improved. The overall per capita service location entropy has not been significantly improved. The old city center and the peripheral area have always been the low-value areas, and the old city center is surrounded by high-value areas. The “low-high-low” three-circle spatial structure continues to exist, but around the old city center, the scope of the high-value area has expanded markedly. There was a significant optimization of social performance from 1999 to 2009. The social performance of the community sports and fitness venues in urban areas is better than that in suburban areas, but the optimization of social performance in suburban areas is greater than that in urban areas. The above analysis is expected to provide references for rationally arranging urban sports and fitness spaces, enhancing the fairness of urban public services, improving the quality of residents’ lives, and assisting the implementation of the “Healthy China” national strategy. Full article

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, many governments have recommended or mandated the wearing of fitted face masks to limit the transmission of the virus via aerosols. The public had, in essence, two choices: single-use, disposable surgical masks and multi-use, washable cloth masks. While the use of cloth masks has been discussed, there are, at present no baseline data that establish the actual proportions of mask types worn in the public. This paper, which presents the findings of rapid walk-through surveys of shopping venues in Albury (Southern New South Wales, Australia), demonstrates that, overall, 33.6% of masks worn by the public were cloth masks. Full article

Background: Data from the research project “Fitness clubs—a venue for public health?” provided an opportunity to evaluate the accuracy of self-reported body weight and height, and subsequent Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as the “trueness” of novice exercisers perception of weight status category, which has not been examined in this population. The aims were to examine self-reported body weight, height, and calculated BMI data from an online survey compared with measured data at fitness club start-up, investigate how accurately novice exercisers place themselves within self-classified weight group (underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese), and compare this with fitness club attendance at three months follow-up. Methods: Prior to anthropometric measurements, 62 men and 63 women responded to an online questionnaire, including body weight (kilogram, kg) and height (centimeters, cm), and self-classified weight group (“I think I am … underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese”). We used the following statistical analysis: Paired sample t-tests, a Bland–Altman plot kappa statistics, chi-squared tests, and a logistic regression. Results: Mean difference of BMI calculated from self-reported and measured data was 0.06 (95% CI −0.29 to 0.17, p = 0.593) in men, and 0.16 (95% CI −0.40 to 0.09, p = 0.224) in women, with four participants being outliers of the 95% limits of agreement (Bland-Altman plot). Allowing a difference of 0.5 kg between self-reported and measured weight, we found that 16% reported their weight correctly, 31.2% underreported (−1.89 ± 1.59 kg), and 52.8% overreported (1.85 ± 1.23 kg), with no sex differences (p = 0.870). Further, our results suggest that both sexes may have difficulty recognizing overweight/obesity in themselves, and particularly men are likely to underreport their perceived weight group compared with women. More than half (53.3%) of the overweight men perceived themselves to be normal weight (women: 14%), and only 33.3% of obese men and women correctly classified themselves as being obese. We did not find any difference between participants correctly or incorrectly classifying weight group and fitness club attendance (≥2 times a week) at three months follow-up. Conclusion: Both sexes reported body weight and height reasonably accurately, and BMI based on self-report appears to be valid measure. Still, a large proportion of novice exercisers do not recognise their own overweight or obesity status, which may in part explain why public health campaigns do not reach risk populations. Full article

Many cities face health issues that result from ineffective urban planning strategies. The chances of doing exercises in sportive venues implicate public health and citizen quality of life. With the advent of the geo-big data era, it is crucial to explore the spatial pattern of sports facilities to reflect urban health issues. This study aims to decode the street-based spatiality of gyms (one prevailing type of sportive venues) from a comprehensive perspective by both geometric methods (i.e., segment streets) and topological analytics in the context of complexity science (i.e., complex network derived from the topology of natural streets). We found that: (1) gyms are spatially clustered and distributed unevenly; (2) community-to-gym walkability fits the power-law with a heavy-tailed distribution at the 10-min and 20-min temporal scales; (3) the model for the street connectivity and the multi-distance reachability of gyms is with high polynomial fitting goodness. This article is conducive to strategies-making of healthy city planning and the further optimization of urban spatial structure. Full article

Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) has been well documented as having substantial health benefits. The 2014 Chinese Fitness Survey Report stated that a lack of physical activity (PA) spaces is the most important non-human factor, leading to 10% of leisure-time physical inactivity in people aged 20 and above. We investigated the provision of sports venues in China and discussed the development of sports venues and national fitness policies in the context of promoting LTPA and public health. We analyzed information from China’s most recent sport venue census, the Sixth National Sports Venues Census, conducted in 2013. The number of sports venues increased between 2000 and 2013, with an inflection point around the year 2008. At the end of 2013, there were 12.45 venues for every 10,000 residents, and the per capita area was 1.46 m². However, numbers were still small compared with the United States and Japan. The percentages of full-time access, part-time access and membership venues were 51.5%, 14.3% and 34.2% respectively. Only half of sports venues were fully open to the public, meaning that the realized number and area per capita could be even lower. A lack of sports venues forces people who want to engage in PA to occupy other urban spaces that are not planned and designed for PA. Urban parks had 119,750 fitness station facilities (3.32% of the total), and 2366 urban fitness trails (19.24%), with a combined length of 6450 km (32.91%). On average, urban and rural areas had 13.17 and 10.80 venues per 10,000 persons, and 1.83 m² and 0.97 m² per capita. The urban-rural gap in sports venues exactly embodies some aspects of the “urban-rural dual structure” in China’s society. Measures to promote PA should focus on new and existing sports venues. In the policy making process, Chinese governments need to pay attention to the potential impact of related, external factors such as the gap between the urban and the rural and the potential advantage of indoor venues against summer heat and air pollution. Full article