Background: Protected natural areas provide a promising opportunity for improving healthy life habits through engagement in a variety of physical activities (PAs). As visitors to protected natural areas do not behave as a homogenous group, it is necessary to better understand the association between their characteristics and the level of activities engaged in. Using Alt Pirineu Natural Park (Spain) as a case study, the purpose of this work is to examine the influence of visitors' sociodemographic and trip characteristics on the likelihood of the visitors engaging in distinct PA intensities.
Methods: Data were systematically collected from visitors (N = 1427) by means of self-administered questionnaires using a face-to-face approach.
Results: To identify distinct groups of PA intensities reported activities of visitors were classified following the Compendium of PA and metabolic equivalent consumption. Three groups were identified and labeled as follows: light PA group (16.8%), moderate PA group (63.9%), and vigorous PA group (19.3%). A logistic regression analysis indicated that the capacity of selected descriptors to predict group membership was positively associated with the increment in PA intensities.
Conclusion: The study findings may aid park managers in developing effective management strategies for promoting health-enhancing PA in protected natural areas.
Keywords: HEPA; MET; health; management implications; protected areas.