Greenways to Health Dr Beth Christie Prof. Peter Higgins & Dr Robbie Nicol

1. Greenways to Health Dr Beth Christie Prof. Peter Higgins & Dr Robbie Nicol

2. Presentation outline • Outline ‘Green Exercise’ programme • Outline ‘Greenways to Health Initiative’ • Present mid-project data • Directions for future research

3. Green Exercise programme • South West: 3G Woodland Games • East of England: Youth Outdoor Experience • North East: Greenways to Health • South East: Get Active in Milton Keynes’ parks • West Midlands: Walk to Water • North West: Health on Wheels • Yorkshire & Humber: Walk 4 Fun • East Midlands: Heelers: Exercise Referral

4. Greenways to Health • Aim - Engage 11-16 year olds in non-competitive forms of green exercise which make valuable connections with the natural environment • Target - 100 young people between Nov 2007- 2009

5. Research Design • Cramlington – demographically homogenous • Case Study 1 - f/t week long course • Case Study 2 – session per week (12wk) • 10-15 students (x2) • Pre- & post- intervention questionnaire • Post- intervention interviews • Cumulative analysis – ‘Impact Continuum’

6. Questionnaire • Composite questionnaire • Level of outdoor activity • Knowledge and use of local greenspace • No statistical analysis – no significance • Purely descriptive statistics • Piloted July 2009 • Administered pre- & post-intervention • Sample size (n=9)

7. Interviews • Explore the questionnaire • Informal, deeper discussion • Group interviews • Held after the intervention • Transcripts subject to inter-rater reliability testing • Sample size (n=6)

8. Questionnaire results suggest that there was a post-intervention increase in frequency of visits to greenspace.

9. Pre- and Post-intervention Levels of Engagement Number of Students Frequency of Visits

10. “….visit more….’cause I liked doing it [the project] and I liked the wildlife and stuff…I liked the bees and stuff”

11. “ I’d visit more and I’d take more notice of things around us. As before I wouldn’t take notice of what was in the trees and stuff I’d just walk really quickly through, now I’d slow down a bit and look around us and stuff “

12. Impact Continuum Profound Some Limited Negative Impact Impact Impact Impact Student A Student B Student F Student C Student D Student E

13. Factors influencing analysis • Small sample size – robustness of the study may have been affected. • Familiarity – seven days passed between pre- and post-intervention questionnaire.

14. Summary • Case Study 2 (Sept- Dec 2009) • Project due for completion March 2010 • Interesting mid-project results • Example of one approach – value lies in its contribution to the broader field.

15. Future Research • Greater understanding of the correlation between nature and mental, physical and social health. • Requires an inter-disciplinary approach • BeWEL • Outdoor Health Network

16. References • Bell,S., et al. (2008). Greenspace and quality of Life Literature Review. Greenspace Scotland. • Department for Communities and Local Government (n.d.) Planning Policy Guidance 17 – planning for open space, sport and recreation. • NICE (2006). Four commonly Used Methods to Increase Physical Activity: brief interventions in primary care, exercise referral schemes, pedometers and communitybased exercise programmes for walking and cycling. Public Health Intervention Guidance No.2.

17. Websites • www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored • www.education/ed.ac/uk.esf • www.greenspacescotland.org.uk • www.whi.org.uk/results.asp?key=2133\0\3D59814741561\p\981\0 • http://www.groundwork-northeast.org.uk/ • www.guidance.nice.org.uk/PH2