Active Use of Parks in Flanders (Belgium): An Exploratory Observational Study

Analysis of the use of public open spaces and physical activity levels in children and adolescents from Rivera (Uruguay)

This study aimed to analyze the use of public open spaces and physical activity levels among children and adolescents in the city of Rivera, Uruguay. A total of 88 target areas located in 29 public open spaces were observed using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC). Systematic observations were made at different times of the day, covering both weekdays and weekends, for a total of 792 records in each public open spaces. Characteristics of the users were recorded according to gender (male and female), age group (infancy to early childhood 0-5 years, middle childhood 6-12 years, adolescence 13-18 years) and physical activity level (sedentary, moderate, or vigorous activity). Logistic regression was employed, considering variables such as day, period, type, and conditions, to assess factors associated with user presence and activity, with separate analyses by gender. Most of the users were adolescents (59.8%) between 13 and 18 years, 67.2% were male and half of the users were sedentary (50.1%). Furthermore, the majority of participants used the target areas on weekends (96.2%), particularly in the evening (99.2%). Multivariate analyses revealed elevated odds of having active girls and boys in the target area during the afternoon and evening, particularly in organized and equipped areas, compared to the morning. Based on this information, it is worth proposing the need to promote the active use of public open spaces in the city of Rivera (Uruguay).

Greenspaces and Health: Scoping Review of studies in Europe

Objectives

Access to greenspaces and contact with nature can promote physical activity and have positive effects on physical and mental health. This scoping literature review aims to examine current evidence linking greenspaces and (a) behaviour change, (b) health outcomes and (c) co-benefits.

Methods

This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA scoping review guidelines. Searches were conducted through PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies published between 2000 and March 2023 with a focus on Europe.

Results

122 scientific articles and grey literature reports were identified. Access to greenspaces is positively associated with physical and mental health, and reduced risk of all-cause mortality and some non-communicable diseases. Greenspace quality is associated with increased physical activity and reduced risk of obesity. Nature-based therapies or green prescription are effective in improving mental health outcomes and overall health. Importantly, numerous co-benefits of greenspaces are identified.

Conclusion

Increasing access to greenspaces for populations with particular attention to greenspace quality is important for co-benefits. Responsible governance and use of greenspaces are crucial to minimize public health risks and human disturbance of nature.

Investigating the Usage Patterns of Park Visitors and Their Driving Factors to Improve Urban Community Parks in China: Taking Jinan City as an Example

Urban community parks have significant benefits for city residents, both physical and spiritual. This is especially true in developing countries, such as China. The purpose of our study is to describe the current situation of the community parks in five main districts of Jinan City while recognizing features of the community parks that influence usage patterns. Our study also means to determine the desired improvements of visitors that promote access to and use of community parks on the basis of the Chinese context. We conducted a survey among 542 community park visitors and obtained valid responses. The findings of respondents show that community parks are mostly used by people over 55 years (34.7%) and children under 10 years (23.6%). The main motives for using community parks are for exercise (24.2%) and to socialize with others (21.6%). The majority of respondents (65.7%) rated the community park as satisfactory and considered only a few improvements needed. Regarding the desired improvements, numerous respondents mentioned adding more physical training facilities (13.3%) and activity areas (7.6%), as well as emergency call buttons in areas frequented by children and older people (7.6%). Furthermore, most of the respondents (79.9%) indicated that they would like to use the community parks more frequently if there is additional progress to make the parks more attractive, cleaner, and friendlier. These results can help park designers, government agencies, and community groups to provide the planning and design strategies for community parks to promote their upgrading in China.

Residential green space and child intelligence and behavior across urban, suburban, and rural areas in Belgium: A longitudinal birth cohort study of twins

BACKGROUND

Exposure to green space has beneficial effects on several cognitive and behavioral aspects. However, to our knowledge, no study addressed intelligence as outcome. We investigated whether the level of urbanicity can modify the association of residential green space with intelligence and behavior in children.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This study includes 620 children and is part of the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS), a registry of multiple births in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Intelligence was assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in 620 children (310 twin pairs) between 7 and 15 years old. From a subset of 442 children, behavior was determined based on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Prenatal and childhood residential addresses were geocoded and used to assign green space indicators. Mixed modeling was performed to investigate green space in association with intelligence and behavior while adjusting for potential confounding factors including sex, age, parental education, neighborhood household income, year of assessment, and zygosity and chorionicity. We found that residential green space in association with both intelligence and behavior in children was modified by the degree of urbanicity (p < 0.001). In children living in an urban environment, multivariable adjusted mixed modeling analysis revealed that an IQR increment of residential green space (3,000-m radius) was associated with a 2.6 points (95% CI 1.4-3.9; p < 0.001) higher total intelligence quotient (IQ) and 2.0 points (95% CI -3.5 to -0.4; p = 0.017) lower externalizing behavioral score. In children residing in a rural or suburban environment, no association was found. A limitation of this study is that no information was available on school location and the potential for unmeasured confounding (e.g., time spend outdoors).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that residential green space may be beneficial for the intellectual and the behavioral development of children living in urban areas. These findings are relevant for policy makers and urban planners to create an optimal environment for children to develop their full potential.

Is the availability of open public spaces associated with leisure-time physical activity in Brazilian adults?

This study aims to analyse the association between perceived presence of public spaces near residences and practice of physical activity during leisure time by adults in the state capitals of Brazil, based on sociodemographic characteristics. Participants were individuals aged ≥18 years living in the 27 state capitals of Brazil (n = 52 929, 53.9% female) who responded to a national survey called VIGITEL in 2013. Physical activity during leisure time (≥1 time/week), perception of space, population and sociodemographic variables (sex, age, years of study and geographic region) were self-reported. The adjusted binary logistic regression analysis was used. Among adults, the prevalence of physical activity during leisure was 45.1% (95% CI [44.2; 46.0]), and 71.1% (95% CI [70.2, 71.8]) perceived public space near their residence. A direct association between perceiving public space and physical activity ([OR] = 1.43; 95% CI [1.32; 1.55]) was observed. No significant difference was observed in the population groups (men and women, younger and older adults, and those with more and fewer years of study). Thus, even with the possible regional differences in Brazilian state capitals, the presence of public spaces increases the practice of physical activity during leisure time, independent of sociodemographic variables.

Differences in park characteristic preferences for visitation and physical activity among adolescents: A latent class analysis

In order to optimize environmental interventions, the current study aimed to investigate whether there are subgroups with different preferences regarding park characteristics for park visitation and park-based PA among adolescents (12–16 years). Furthermore, we examined whether the identified subgroups differed in socio-demographics, PA behavior, and park use characteristics (e.g. accompaniment to park, usual activities during park visitation, usual transportation to parks). Adolescents (12–16 years) were recruited via randomly selected secondary schools, located in Flanders (Belgium). Class visits were conducted between September and November 2016 and adolescents were asked to complete an online questionnaire. Latent class analyses using Sawtooth Software were used to identify possible subgroups. A final sample of 972 adolescents (mean age 13.3 ± 1.3 years) remained for analyses. Three subgroups of adolescents with similar preferences for park characteristics could be distinguished for both park visitation and park-based PA. Overall, current results indicate that park upkeep was the most important park characteristic for park visitation as well as park-based PA among at risk subgroups (i.e. adolescents with lower overall PA levels, girls, older adolescents,…) followed by the presence of a playground or outdoor fitness equipment. Among the more active adolescents, especially boys visiting the parks together with friends, the presence of a sport field (soccer and basketball) seems to be the best strategy to increase park visitation as well as park-based PA. Current results provide a starting point to advise policy makers and urban planners when designing or renovating parks that investing in good upkeep and maintenance of parks, and the provision of a playground or outdoor fitness equipment might be the best strategy to increase both park visitation and park-based PA among at risk adolescent subgroups.

How Urban Parks Offer Opportunities for Physical Activity in Dublin, Ireland

Parks are an important part of the urban fabric of cities. They offer people the opportunity to connect with nature, engage in physical activity, find a haven away from the city noise, or spend time alone or with family and friends. This study examines the relative importance of park and park visit characteristics for 865 survey participants in Dublin, Ireland. The data is analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model which can distinguish the relative importance of attributes. The model results demonstrate an improvement over proportional by chance accuracy, indicating that the model is useful. The results suggest that when and why individuals go to the park along with the proximity of their residence to the park influence visit frequency more than their age and gender and more than their impression of the sound levels in the park. The contribution of the results, in terms of their potential usefulness to planners, suggest that the priority should be on the provision of park space close to residential areas, so that individuals can engage in activities such as walking and relaxation, and that the quality of that space, in the context of noise levels at least, is less important.

Factors related with public open space use among adolescents: a study using GPS and accelerometers

Background

Low physical activity levels and high levels of sedentary time among adolescents call for population wide interventions. Public open spaces can be important locations for adolescents’ physical activity. This study aimed to describe the prevalence, frequency and context of public open space visitation and to gain insight into the individual, social and physical environmental factors associated with public open space use among 12- to 16-year-old Flemish (Belgian) adolescents.

Methods

Global positioning system devices, accelerometers and one-on-one interviews were used to measure location-specific activity levels, time spent at, reasons for using and accompaniment at public open spaces among 173 adolescents. Multilevel hurdle and gamma models were used to estimate the associations between the independent variables (age, gender, ethnicity, education, sport club membership and accompaniment) and the amount of time, sedentary time, light-, moderate- to vigorous- and vigorous-intensity physical activity at public open spaces.

Results

Three out of four participants had visited a public open space (for recreational purposes) and participants were most often accompanied by friends/classmates. Mainly public transportation stops/stations were used, and subsequently the most reported reason for public open space use was “to wait for something or someone”. Furthermore, boys, younger adolescents, non-western-European adolescents and lower educated adolescents were more likely to use public open spaces. Additionally, boys and younger adolescents were more likely to accumulate physical activity at public open spaces. The only social environmental variable associated with time spent at public open spaces was accompaniment by siblings: adolescents spent more time at public open spaces when accompanied by their siblings.

Conclusions

Public open spaces may be effective areas to promote physical activity among groups at risk for physical inactivity (i.e. low educated and non-western-European adolescents). Additionally, girls and older adolescents were less likely to visit and be physically active at public open spaces. Therefore, urban planners should consider adding attractive features, in order to encourage physical activity among girls and older adolescents at public open spaces. Furthermore, creating public open spaces that are attractive for youth of all ages could contribute to adolescents visiting public open spaces accompanied by siblings.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12942-018-0123-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Access and quality of parks and associations with obesity: A cross-sectional study

Public health is increasingly engaging with multi-faceted obesity prevention efforts. Although parks represent key community assets for broader public health, they may not be distributed equitably and associations with obesity are equivocal. We investigated park access and quality relative to deprivation and obesity with individual-level data from the Yorkshire Health Study. Compared to the least deprived areas, the moderately and most deprived areas had a greater park access and park quality in terms of features and amenities. However, parks in the moderately and most deprived areas also had the most safety concerns and incivilities. Although deprivation was associated with obesity, contrary to current policy guidance, both park access and quality appear less important for understanding variations in obesity within this study. Although sub-group analyses by deprivation tertile revealed that low quality park amenities in highly and moderately deprived areas may be important for understanding obesity prevalence, all other associations were non-significant.