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Adaptative Strategies for Outdoor Recreation During a Time of Stress: Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S
Maintaining engagement in outdoor recreation during COVID-19 required adaptation as the pandemic continuously reshaped risk perceptions, use of outdoor space, and interpersonal contact. This study examined the role of four main adaptive strategies in outdoor recreation engagement among U.S. adults d...
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Published in: | SAGE open 2024-10, Vol.14 (4) |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Maintaining engagement in outdoor recreation during COVID-19 required adaptation as the pandemic continuously reshaped risk perceptions, use of outdoor space, and interpersonal contact. This study examined the role of four main adaptive strategies in outdoor recreation engagement among U.S. adults during one of the nation’s largest waves of COVID-19 cases and death. Cross-sectional data were collected through an online survey in February 2021 (N = 503) from an online panel representative of the U.S. adult population in age, gender, and race. Multiple linear regression results suggested that increasing effort and temporal adjustment were associated with higher outdoor recreation frequency controlling for the effects of nearby green space access and attributes, COVID risk perception, and demographic variables. Binary logistic regression results revealed that these same strategies were also associated with increased odds of maintaining or increasing outdoor engagement relative to pre-COVID level. The prominent role of individual adaptive strategies relative to the impact of nearby green space access and attributes highlighted the value of behavioral adaptation at the individual level in times of major disruptions and constraints and the need to prioritize recreation programming to facilitate adaptation and healthy behaviors during future stressful events.
Plain Language Summary
Amidst enduring stress and constraints introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined four unique adaptive strategies’ relationship with outdoor recreation engagement and their relative adoption among different demographic groups. Our evidence was based on an online survey conducted in early 2021 among U.S. adults. We observed that two strategies—increasing effort and adjusting the times of personal recreation—were associated with more frequent outdoor recreation engagement. The implications of our research suggested promotional efforts for outdoor participation amidst major disruptions should prioritize facilitating behavioral adaptation, supplemented by measures to mitigate selected structural barriers related to green infrastructure (e.g., safety, crowdedness, aesthetics). Furthermore, those efforts should apply an equity lens by allocating resources to address the needs of disadvantaged groups (e.g., low-income groups and younger adults) that may have fewer resources to adapt. |
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ISSN: | 2158-2440 2158-2440 |
DOI: | 10.1177/21582440241305774 |