Impact of a park visit program on the well-being of subsidized senior housing residents

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a 10-week park visit program on subjective well-being, emotional stress, health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality of older adults living in subsidized senior housing (SSH) and to explore residents' perceptions of the program. Thirty-four residents from four SSH participated in the study. The program involved transporting residents from each SSH to the same urban neighborhood park once a week for 10 consecutive weeks. During each park visit, research assistants monitored each resident from a distance while the resident walked for 20-30 min. Data from self-reported questionnaires and hair samples were collected at pre- and post-program evaluations. Quantitative analysis showed that subjective well-being scores increased significantly after the program. In addition, significant improvements of hair cortisol levels were observed after outlying change scores in hair cortisol levels were removed. Feedback from exit interviews revealed four themes: improved mental well-being with reduced stress, increased physical activity, improved self-efficacy, and increased reflection on health and lifestyle. These findings provide preliminary evidence that a 10-week program of once-weekly park visits lasting about 30 min can improve the emotional health of SSH residents.