Study on Park-Utilization as Health-Enhancement Facilities -Second Report

The authors conducted a questionnaire survey to the participants in early-morning exercise at the Lumpini Park, Thailand, in 2004 as a preliminary case study of utilization of parks as health-enhancement facilities. We conducted the survey in 2012 again in order to confirm the change in the state of implementation after years of time passage, and in order to get a hint of extensive usage of parks in Japan. In both cases, the majority of respondents were men over 60 years and women between 40 and 60 years. A large percent of respondents’ occupation included, self-owned business, freelance professional, full-time housewife, and the unemployed. The aim of doing the exercise was mostly “for the enhancement of health”. Most of them participated in the exercise every day or 5 to 6 days a week coming to the park by 6 o’ clock in the early morning and spending 2 to 3 hours in the park. In 2004, popular types of exercise for men were, walking, taijiquan, and qigong. In 2012, they were mainly walking and jogging. For women, both in 2004 and in 2012, popular types were mostly walking and aerobics. The largest merit of continuing the exercise, they answered, was “they have become disease resistant.” The most attractive features of the park, they answered, were, “it was abundant in nature”, and “there were mates to do exercise together”. Almost all of the respondents answered that the exercise at the Lumpini Park occupied a “necessary part in their life”. It was suggested that the early-morning exercise at the Lumpini Park has become their habit as an important part of their life.