Strongest predictor of green space visits among adolescents is perceived importance of green environmentResearchers in the Netherlands asked 1,911 seventeen-year-olds about the frequency of and motivation for visits to green spaces. They also asked the teens to rate the level of greenness of their neighborhoods from “very green“ to “not green.” The actual greenness was categorized using the satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and a detailed land-use map of the Netherlands. Parents of the adolescents provided information about whether their teens walked a family dog and how much time they spent doing so.
The objective measures of greenness indicated that 57% of the adolescents had no natural green space in the 300-m buffer around their homes. Slightly more than half (53%) of the adolescents reported visiting green spaces at least once a week in summer. This dropped to about 26% in winter. The most often stated reasons for green space visits were for physical and social activities. Boys tended to use green spaces more often for physical activity than girls. Dog owners visited green spaces more often than teens without dogs and did so for the purpose of “experiencing nature and quietness.” Teens who considered green spaces “very important” were 5–7 times more likely to visit them at least once a week for physical and social activities, and almost 19 times more likely to visit for “experiencing nature and quietness,” compared with teens who considered green spaces not important. Teens with lower levels of education were more likely than teens with higher levels of education to report visiting green spaces for socializing and relaxation. However, teens with a highly educated father were more likely to visit green spaces for physical and social activities than teens with a less educated father. The mother’s level of education did not predict frequency or motivation for teens’ visits to green spaces. Adolescents living in urban and non-urban areas did not differ much in how often they visited green spaces in summer, and green space visits were not associated with the objectively measured amount of residential green space.
While previous research indicates that access to green spaces in cities and near homes is linked to physical and mental health benefits for children and youth, few studies have investigated why they actually use green spaces. This research may be the first study to examine the perceived importance of a green environment as a predictor of green space visits in adolescents. The findings indicate that perceiving green surroundings as valuable was the strongest predictor of whether teens went to green spaces to experience nature and quietness
These findings show that “subjective variables are stronger predictors of green space visits in adolescents than the objectively measured quantity of residential green space.” In other words, adolescents’ attitudes towards a green environment influenced their visits to green spaces more than the amount of green space accessible to them. What remains unclear is whether the perceived importance of a green environment actually leads to more frequent visits to green spaces, or whether more frequent visits to green spaces influence adolescents’ attitudes towards a green environment. For public health policy purposes, however, it is important to note that the perceived value of a green environment was strongly associated with the frequency of visits to green spaces. Thus, while access to green space plays an important role in human health, attitudes towards green space might also be relevant targets for public health strategies.
The Bottom Line