Factors Influencing the Elderly’s Visits to and Exercise in Public Parks during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tokyo, Japan
Abstract
The objectives of this study were two-fold: 1) to identify patterns in the elderly’s visits to urban parks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo; and 2) to identify whether visiting urban parks allowed the elderly to meet their social interaction needs during the pandemic. The sample comprised 400 elderly people in Tokyo. The study was conducted immediately after the Japanese government relaxed restrictions on social activities in the community, allowing people to visit public parks, railway stations, religious places, malls, communities, and the like. Statistical analysis consisted of the use of percentages, means, standard deviations, t-tests, one-way analysis of variances, and pairwise tests using least significant difference. Urban parks are an important public service resource for the elderly living in urban areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to parks, gardens, and other local green spaces was recognized as vital to people’s physical and mental health. The elderly, as a highly vulnerable group, experienced a considerable reduction in mobility during the pandemic. The results of this study indicate that elderly people of different genders and ages did not make different decisions about their visits and return visits to parks during the pandemic, whereas those with different educational levels and occupations before retirement made significantly different decisions. All participants stated that they appreciated the liveliness, contact with nature, access to social spaces for their age group, cleanliness and safety, and various atmospheres and activities offered by the parks. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to review society, public spaces in urban areas, and the elderly population of Tokyo in particular. Relevant agencies should review facilities according to the preferences of the elderly to encourage their use of parks for the mutual benefit of society in general and the elderly in particular.
Keywords: Tokyo, elderly people, COVID-19, public parks.
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