1,318 research outputs found

    The nature of the pandemic:Exploring the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic upon recreation visitor behaviors and experiences in parks and protected areas

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    The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected parks and protected areas and overall recreation visitation across the United States. While outdoor recreation has been demonstrated to be beneficial, especially during a pandemic, the resulting increase in recreation visitation raises concerns regarding the broader influence of social, situational, ecological, and behavioral factors upon overall visitor experiences. This study investigated the extent to which recreation visitors’ behaviors and experiences have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic within the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF). A modified drop-off pick-up survey method was employed to collect population-level data from WMNF visitors from June to August of 2020 (n=317), at the height of the pandemic. Results from this mixed-method study suggest social factors (e.g., crowding and conflict), situational factors (e.g., access and closures), ecological factors (e.g., vegetation damage), behavioral factors (e.g., substitution), and sociodemographic factors (e.g., gender and income) significantly influenced overall visitor decision-making and experience quality within the WMNF. For example, more than one-third of visitors indicated the pandemic had either a major or severe impact upon their WMNF recreation experience. A more nuanced investigation of qualitative data determined that the majority of pandemic-related recreation impacts revolved around the themes of social impacts, general negative recreation impacts, situational and ecological impacts, and behavioral adaptation impacts. Moreover, historically marginalized populations (e.g., low-income households and females) within the sample reported significantly higher recreation experience impacts during the pandemic. This study demonstrates the influence of the pandemic upon outdoor recreation visitor experiences and behaviors and considers outdoor recreation as a central component within the broader social-ecological systems framework. This study demonstrates the influence of the pandemic upon outdoor recreation visitor experiences and behaviors and considers resource users a central component within the broader social-ecological systems conceptual framework. MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS: This study found that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, social, situational, ecological, behavioral, and sociodemographic factors significantly influenced overall visitor decision-making andexperience quality: · Social and general recreation impacts were most common, with approximately 56% of the sample reporting these issues. · Results suggest significant crowding and conflict impacts stemmed from interactions between in-state and out-of-state visitors, largely based upon perceived violations of pandemic protocols. · Moreover, historically marginalized populations stated unique recreation impacts during the pandemic. For instance, visitors from low-income households reported significantly less substitution options as opposed to high-income visitors. · Female visitors perceived significantly more pandemic-related conflict than male visitors. Study findings suggest visitor crowding and conflict should be prioritized by resource managers, especially amongst historically marginalized populations. Resource managers should consider adopting a broader social-ecological systems approach to parks and protected areas management, particularly during a global pandemic

    From a Shorter Winter Season to More Storm Damage: New Hampshire Outdoor Recreation Providers Feel Climate Impacts Far More than Visitors

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    In this brief, the authors examine to what extent outdoor recreation providers and visitors in New Hampshire are impacted by annual climatic conditions representative of long-term trends, specifically, through the 2024–2028 New Hampshire Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). For the first time, the New Hampshire SCORP included an investigation of climate-related impacts on outdoor recreation from the perspective of both visitors and providers. The findings of the study uncovered notable disparities in how New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation providers and visitors perceive climate conditions’ impact on outdoor recreation, particularly in the categories of “winter” and “extreme weather.” Understanding the perspectives of both providers and visitors is critical to outdoor recreation planning because of outdoor recreation’s contributions to the state economy and the role it plays in incentivizing people to live in New Hampshire

    The role of health and wellbeing in shaping local park experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

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    Parks and protected areas (PPAs) serve a critical role in society as natural reprieves for restoring both mental and physical health. The restorative power of nature was even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when visitation to local PPAs increased dramatically. Resource managers within local PPAs are growing concerned regarding the influence of increasing recreation visitation levels upon health, wellbeing, and overall visitor experience quality. This study examined the influence of social, ecological, and situational factors on visitors' health, wellbeing, and satisfaction in a local PPA setting in New England. On-site intercept surveys were conducted with local PPA visitors from September 2020 to August 2021 (n = 539) across both spatial and temporal scales. Structural equation modeling and binary logistic regression analyses suggest that social, situational, and ecological factors were significant predictors of visitor health, wellbeing, and overall satisfaction. Health outcomes (e.g., health improvement) fully mediated the relationship between situational factors (e.g., signage, COVID-19 visitation) and satisfaction and partially mediated the relationship between social factors (e.g., crowding, place attachment) and satisfaction. While ecological factors (e.g., trail and resource degradation) had no direct relationship with health outcomes, they showed a strong negative relationship with visitor satisfaction. Study findings suggest that as local PPA visitation increased during the pandemic, health outcomes also increased significantly, serving to mitigate certain negative impacts, and ultimately enhance overall experience quality. These findings lend themselves to an integration of health and wellbeing, visitor use management, and social-ecological systems conceptual frameworks and provide critical theoretical and managerial insights. Management implications: This study found that as local park and protected area visitation (PPA) increased during the pandemic, health and wellbeing outcomes also increased significantly, serving to mitigate certain negative impacts, and ultimately enhance overall experience quality. Results indicate additional signage, increasing sense of place, and reducing ecological impacts should be top priorities for resource managers. Finally, study findings validate the critical role that local PPAs and resource managers play in providing opportunities for enhanced health and wellness, particularly during a global pandemic, epitomizing the mantra healthy parks and healthy people.</p

    Identification of sVSG117 as an immunodiagnostic antigen and evaluation of a dual-antigen lateral flow test for the diagnosis of human african trypanosomiasis

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    The diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense relies mainly on the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT). There is no immunodiagnostic for HAT caused by T. b. rhodesiense. Our principle aim was to develop a prototype lateral flow test that might be an improvement on CATT.</p

    How much noise is too much? Methods for identifying thresholds for soundscape quality and ecosystem services

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    The United States National Park Service mandate is to conserve park resources and provide superlative visitor experience. In the context of acoustic resources, Denali National Park and Preserve provides an advantageous opportunity to understand the effect of aircraft noise on visitor experience because it possesses high levels of air tour traffic in a park renowned for its remote, wilderness character. Park visitors in four different settings were asked to rate the acceptability of recordings of aircraft noise, presented in randomized order relative to noise level. A cumulative link mixed model fitted visitor assessments to acoustic and nonacoustic factors. In addition to noise level, interest in an air tour was an important predictor of sound clip acceptability. For visitors uninterested in an air tour, the probability of rating aircraft noise as unacceptable at 54 dB LAeq,30 s or higher was 26%. For reference, this aligns with federal guidance that identified 55 dB as a threshold for interference with outdoor activities at rural residences and schools. Predictions of visitor response were joined to a spatial model of aircraft noise propagation to map visitor acceptability of aircraft noise in Denali’s entrance area (frontcountry). This map can be used to assess the condition of park management zones, to inform hiking recommendations for visitors, and to predict the range of soundscape conditions experienced by park visitors Soundscapes Threshold Indicators Aircraft noise Spatial analysis Ecosystem servicespublishedVersio

    Correlation Between Caregiver Reports of Physical Function and Performance-based Measures in a Cohort of Older Adults With Alzheimer Disease

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    The objectives of this report are to determine the association between performance-based measures of physical function with caregiver reports of physical function in older adults with Alzheimer disease (AD) and to examine whether those associations vary by the level of patients' cognitive functioning. Subjects included 180 patient-caregiver dyads who are enrolled in a clinical trial testing the impact of an occupational therapy intervention plus guideline-level care to delay functional decline among older adults with AD. The primary caregiver-reported measure is the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study Group Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL). Performance-based measures include the Short Physical Performance Battery and the Short Portable Sarcopenia Measure. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models were used to determine the associations of each physical performance measure with ADCS-ADL, adjusting for cognition function and other covariates. We found significant correlations between caregiver reports and observed performance-based measures across all levels of cognitive function, with patients in the lowest cognitive group showing the highest correlation. These findings support the use of proxy reports to assess physical function among older adults with AD

    Mild postoperative acute kidney injury and outcomes after surgery for congenital heart disease

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    ObjectiveThe effect of mild acute kidney injury (AKI) on outcomes after heart surgery in children is unclear. We sought to characterize the epidemiology of mild AKI associated with surgery for congenital heart disease (CHS-AKI) in children.MethodsWe conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 693 patients (aged 6 days-18 years) who underwent heart surgery in 2009. The prevalence of AKI within 72 hours of surgery was determined using the 3-stage Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria. Factors associated with both hospital length of stay and AKI were used in a proportional hazards model to test the association of stage 1 AKI with hospital length of stay.ResultsThe median age of the patients was 11.5 months (interquartile range, 3-54 months). Eighteen percent of the cohort had single ventricle heart disease and 54% underwent RACHS-1 category 3 or higher surgery. The prevalence of stages 1, 2, and 3 AKI in this cohort was 11% (n = 77), 3% (n = 19), and 1% (n = 8), respectively. Factors independently associated with AKI were prematurity, single ventricle physiology, peak postoperative lactic acid concentration, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and a history of heart surgery. Stage 2 or greater CHS-AKI was associated with hospital length of stay (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.87; P = .01), but stage 1 was not (AHR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.66-1.10; P = .22).ConclusionsAKI occurs after surgery for congenital heart disease but may be less common than previously reported. Although moderate to severe CHS-AKI is independently associated with prolonged recovery after heart surgery, mild disease does not appear to be

    Understanding park visitors’ soundscape perception using subjective and objective measurement

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    Environmental noise knows no boundaries, affecting even protected areas. Noise pollution, originating from both external and internal sources, imposes costs on these areas. It is associated with adverse health effects, while natural sounds contribute to cognitive and emotional improvements as ecosystem services. When it comes to parks, individual visitors hold unique perceptions of soundscapes, which can be shaped by various factors such as their motivations for visiting, personal norms, attitudes towards specific sounds, and expectations. In this study, we utilized linear models and geospatial data to evaluate how visitors’ personal norms and attitudes, the park’s acoustic environment, visitor counts, and the acoustic environment of visitors’ neighborhoods influenced their perception of soundscapes at Muir Woods National Monument. Our findings indicate that visitors’ subjective experiences had a greater impact on their perception of the park’s soundscape compared to purely acoustic factors like sound level of the park itself. Specifically, we found that motivations to hear natural sounds, interference caused by noise, sensitivity to noise, and the sound levels of visitors’ home neighborhoods influenced visitors’ perception of the park’s soundscape. Understanding how personal factors shape visitors’ soundscape perception can assist urban and non-urban park planners in effectively managing visitor experiences and expectations
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