Evaluating actual use of outdoor exercise equipment in a community park in Southern California through video-captured behavioral assessment

AimTest feasibility of measuring physical activity levels and actual use of outdoor exercise equipment by park users through a human-centered virtual audit in an observational study in southern California.MethodsApproximately 3,000 h of continuous video footage were collected using a stationary, customized, wireless data-transmission-enabled outdoor camera in Eastgate Park, Garden Grove, California. The camera captured images of the outdoor exercise equipment every 30 s for 14 h a day over seven months. A virtual audit was conducted on 300 h of footage by a team of researchers who tracked weather conditions, equipment usage, duration of use, and observed the age, gender, and activity levels (sedentary, moderate, or vigorous) of park users. Equipment use was categorized as intended (correct use) or unintended (e.g., resting on equipment).ResultsPooling observations from all eight exercise machines, adults used the equipment as intended an estimated 77% of the time (95% CI: 76%-79%). Youth used the equipment as intended an estimated 39% of the time (95% CI: 37%-40%). Overall, park users used the equipment as intended an estimated 60% of the time (95% CI: 59%-62%).ConclusionVirtual audits can effectively differentiate between intended and actual use of outdoor exercise equipment in recreational parks. This method can complement field observation methods, such as SOPARC, and aid in planning public health promotion and education programs to increase proper use of exercise equipment, however it is time intensive. With the advent of AI, automated visual audits can provide timely analysis of park improvement impacts

Successful Strategies to Engage Research Partners for Translating Evidence into Action in Community Health: A Critical Review

Objectives. To undertake a critical review describing key strategies supporting development of participatory research (PR) teams to engage partners for creation and translation of action-oriented knowledge. Methods. Sources are four leading PR practitioners identified via bibliometric analysis. Authors' publications were identified in January 1995-October 2009 in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science and CAB databases, and books. Works were limited to those with a process description describing a research project and practitioners were first, second, third, or last author. Results. Adapting and applying the "Reliability Tested Guidelines for Assessing Participatory Research Projects" to retained records identified five key strategies: developing advisory committees of researchers and intended research users; developing research agreements; using formal and informal group facilitation techniques; hiring co-researchers/partners from community; and ensuring frequent communication. Other less frequently mentioned strategies were also identified. Conclusion. This review is the first time these guidelines were used to identify key strategies supporting PR projects. They proved effective at identifying and evaluating engagement strategies as reported by completed research projects. Adapting these guidelines identified gaps where the tool was unable to assess fundamental PR elements of power dynamics, equity of resources, and member turnover. Our resulting template serves as a new tool to measure partnerships

Conversationalism, constitutional economics and bicameralism: Strategies for political reform in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has at long last regained the economic momentum lost in the wake of the Asian financial crisis and the collapse of the local property market. However, political friction and uncertainty have escalated rather than subsided, because of deep-rooted divisions over the pace of democratic reform. There are no simple remedies for the constitutional deadlock that has emerged. Nevertheless, it might be possible to improve the overall political climate and both the form and substance of the dialog regarding fundamental institutional reform by borrowing some ideas from constitutional economics