ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mobility, accessibility, and behaviors of visitors dramatically. Under the impact of COVID-19, the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in parks and recreation areas are expected to change due to the uncertainty of health risks associated with visitors' behaviors. This study con-ducted an on-site visitor survey at Leiqiong Global Geological Park, a national park located in urban-proximate areas in Haikou, China. This study aims to examine factors impacting visitors' perceived crowding and emotions under varying levels of visitor use in urban national parks in the context of COVID-19. Study results suggest that visitors have the highest level of motivation for scenery and culture viewing and are generally satisfied with the environmental quality and design and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation efforts within the park. Moreover, this study suggests that the level of crowding and COVID-19 prevention strategies and imple-mentation can affect visitors' emotions in urban natioanl parks significantly. These findings highlight the importance of enforcing the social carrying capacity limits and COVID-19 prevention strategies for urban parks and protected areas to mitigate physical and mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Management implication: This study is one of the pilot studies that examines the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results identify the thresholds of social carrying capacity and visitors' positive emotions based on the indicator of People Per View (PPV). Moreover, COVID-19 prevention strategies (e.g., mask-wearing and social distancing) can reduce visitors' perceived crowding and enhance positive emotions. These findings suggest that urban national parks should monitor visitor use levels based on the social carrying capacity framework to reduce visitors' perceived crowding and maintain positive emotions in the post-COVID-19 era.
ABSTRACT
Introduction &Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent world-wide quarantine resulted in a major change in individual lifestyles. In New York State, March 16, 2020 marked the end of any in-restaurant dining and the general population reported a shift to more cooking at home. Reducing dietary sodium intake, such as less dining out, is often considered first line dietary therapy for calcium stone formers due to known risk factors of hypernatriuria and hypercalciuria. We investigated the 24-hour urine of our patients with known history of nephrolithiasis to see if these dietary changes during COVID-19 pandemic may have also changed the risk of stone disease. Method(s): Retrospectively, patients with a history of nephrolithiasis seen for an outpatient visit from April 1, 2020-December 31, 2020 were studied. All patients included had a 24-hour urine study pre-COVID, defined as before March 16, 2020 as well as a study during-COVID, March 16, 2020-December 31, 2020;a post-COVID study including January 1, 2021-December 31, 2021 was also included. Mean pre-COVID, during-COVID and post-COVID values were compared using paired, 2-tailed t-tests. Result(s): 94 patients (M = 54, F = 40) with a mean age of 60 years were evaluated. Stone analysis revealed calcium oxalate (61%), calcium phosphate (15%), uric acid (15%), other (9%). The 24-hour urine revealed a significant reduction in urinary sodium (uNa) levels from pre-COVID (165.64 +/- 7.5 mEq/L) compared to during-COVID (149.16 +/- 7.6 mEq/L) (p = 0.018). There was also a significant reduction in urinary calcium (uCa) from pre-COVID (214.18 +/- 13.05mEq/L) compared to during-COVID levels (191.48 +/- 13.03 mEq/L) (p = 0.010). Post-COVID 24-hour urine (N = 59) levels for both post-COVID uNa (137.43 +/- 8.03mEq/L, p = 0.02) and post-COVID uCa (193.07 +/- 13.23, p = 0.035) remained significantly reduced compared to the pre-COVID values, but with no difference compared to during-COVID values. There were no significant differences in 24 hour urine total volume, magnesium, or citrate levels. Conclusion(s): During the COVID-19 lockdown, dietary choices limited to home cooked meals allowed patients to better identify their food choices. This study demonstrates that home cooked meals improved urinary parameters to minimize the lithogenic risk factors for stone formation including hypernatriuria and hypercalciuria. Persistently improved urinary factors during the post-COVID period may be secondary to improved dietary practices combined with continued lockdown as a result of new virus variants.