While distance from home to urban green space is a factor in how often and how long children and youth are physically active in outdoor environments, previous studies have shown that proximity alone may not be enough to promote adolescents' green exercise (GE). This study sought to identify (a) relationships between characteristics of urban green spaces and adolescents' self-reported GE and (b) relationships between characteristics of urban green spaces and adolescents' general health and body mass index (BMI). This study also sought to determine if these relationships differ between boys and girls.
Researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with 384 adolescents (age 13-19) in eight different urban green spaces in Aydin, Turkey. Some of the adolescents were physically active, some passive, and others just passing by in the urban green spaces. During the interviews, adolescents provided demographic and SES information, information about the walking distance from their home to the closest urban green space, their frequency and duration of GE, and their screen time per day. They were also asked to provide information about their height and weight and to evaluate their own general health during the last two weeks. Two professional landscape architects evaluated and rated the characteristic features of the urban green spaces.
The data showed that some characteristic features of urban green spaces influenced adolescents' GE and health. Greater distance from urban green space was linked to decreased frequency of GE; but distance was not consistently linked to duration of GE. Features of urban green spaces associated with longer duration of GE included many trees, lawns, soccer fields, basketball courts, and play equipment. For boys, longer periods of GE were associated with more positive general health; less frequency of GE was associated with more screen time and less healthy BMI. For girls, greater frequency of GE was associated with soccer fields and basketball courts, and more positive general health was associated with exercise trails and play equipment. Generally, more benches and/or other seating areas were positively associated with increased BMI. Many trees, open areas, and outdoor fitness equipment were associated with lower BMI.
These findings are consistent with previous studies indicating that green exercise could provide important health benefits to adolescents, and that certain features in the environment tend to promote increased frequency and duration of GE. In urban green spaces, these features include many trees, lawns, flowerbeds, open areas, play and outdoor fitness equipment, exercise trails, soccer fields and basketball courts.
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