Assessment of park paths and trails to promote physical accessibility among wheelchair users in Saudi Arabia.
Hadeel R Bakhsh, Tracy Chippendale, Najat Al-Haizan and 1 others
PMID 38912101WHAT IT FOUND
Gate clearance was consistent across Riyadh park paths, but accessible restrooms, access points, and paved bench areas were inconsistent.
Wheelchair users may face barriers to using park paths.
Key findings
01Adequate lateral clearance next to gates was consistent across the audited parks.
02Accessible restrooms were not consistent across park segments except in one park.
03Accessible access points were inconsistent in several parks, which may make park paths harder to use.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only five parks in Riyadh were audited, so the findings may not apply to other parks or cities. The authors call for future qualitative research to capture wheelchair users' experiences, so this audit did not report those experiences. PEAT was developed in the United States in 2006, and the authors note some criteria may now be outdated. The study was a small descriptive pilot, not a test of whether accessibility changes physical activity or participation. Drinking fountains were absent in all parks and were excluded from the findings. The authors say the tool may need additional items for hot climates.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The research was funded by the Deputyship for Research and Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia under project number RI-44-0158.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as a general accessibility rating for Saudi parks. It audited only five parks in Riyadh using a tool developed in the United States, and the authors note some criteria may be outdated.