ABSTRACT

Background: Parks are one of the indicators of improving the quality and living space. Therefore, in order to improve their safety and health, standards must be met. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the safety of parks and some of the provided game amenities, sanitation, environment and their compliance with existing standards, as well as the satisfaction of visitors of district and regional parks in the ten districts of Shiraz municipality.

Methods: A total of 18 district and regional parks were surveyed. Evaluation was conducted through interviews and questions, checklists and field visits were completed and necessary data were collected. In addition, 270 people were surveyed and interviewed to assess their satisfaction with the sites. Finally, the collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.

Findings: The mean safety index for regional and district parks was91.64% and91.61%respectively, and the average score of the health sector of these parks was almost the same. Also, the health level was lower than the environmental level. In addition, it was found that, the district III municipality has the highest level of visitors’ satisfaction and the area VII municipality has the lowest level of visitors’ satisfaction.

Conclusion: Playground equipment should always be monitored by managers for possible risks. Therefore, according to the children's need for play equipment and their vulnerability to hazards, play equipment should be prioritized for equipment optimization. The results of the study of health and environmental issues showed that the health status of regional and district parks is lower than environmental variables which can be attributed to the lack of periodic monitoring of the parks health status.

Keywords: safety, health, environment, park, playground