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Other Subject Area

Physical Activity Public Health

Abstract

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(7): 599-612, 2023. Prior research has demonstrated that male adults and youth engaged in skateboarding at community skateparks achieve heart rates that meet or exceed recommendations for exercise by the CDC. However, these studies do not adequately evaluate other non-traditional or ethnically diverse users who may differ in how they utilize the skatepark and in their cardiovascular response. The purpose of this experiment was to measure heart rate response and locomotor movement in three lesser studied groups that frequently utilize community skateparks, and to compare these results with those reported previously in male adult and youth skateboarders. Fifty-six skatepark users were analyzed, including thirty female and BIPOC skateboarders, and twenty-six non-skateboard users. All participants were instrumented with a HR monitor with GPS capability and asked to engage in their preferred activity with no duration specified. Average heart rate and time spent at high and moderate levels of heart rate intensity were not statistically different among the groups studied here, nor were they different from those reported previously for male adult and youth skateboarders. Distances traveled, average, and peak velocities were also not statistically different among the groups studied here, but all were significantly lower than values previously reported for adult male skateboarders. While some differences in distances traveled and velocity were noted, all groups met or exceeded CDC guidelines for cardiovascular fitness. These data suggest that skateparks can help a community achieve health outcomes, particularly among diverse users.

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