‘The only place to go and be in the city’: women talk about exercise, being outdoors, and the meanings of a large urban park

This article explores women's physical activities in an urban park in Brooklyn, NY, USA. Physical inactivity is a growing health concern, and research has begun to address the physical environment, a subset of which looks particularly at the role of the environment for women. These qualitative interviews cited physical features, such as hills, a continuous loop, and trails, but safety was a concern due to traffic or wooded areas. The park provided support for bodily needs, such as rest rooms and freedom to wear comfortable clothes. Nature was described as stimulating the senses and restoring mental capacities, and the park was an important nearby outdoor resource. Results are discussed in the context of current research, in relation to women but also more broadly in relation to research on physical activity and the outdoor environment.