Having greater exposure to green space (such as parks and woodlands) in your local neighbourhood is thought to be healthy.  Income based health inequalities have been shown to be narrower among populations with greater exposure to green space.  One explanation for this is that green space encourages people to engage in physical activity, for example, it may provide opportunities for walking or cycling.  The aim of this study, therefore, is to examine the role of physical activity as a mechanism by which green space promotes health and may narrow health inequalities in Scotland. 

The study will involve analysing data derived from two different datasets. The use of, and attitudes, to green space as a venue for physical activity will be explored using data from the Green Space Scotland Omnibus Survey.  Variation in use of, and access to, green space among different socio economic groups will be analysed using the Scottish Health Survey.  The findings from both datasets will be synthesised to consider whether greater equality in access to green space might contribute to narrowing socio-economic inequalities in health by encouraging physical activity.

Finally, the findings will potentially be explored to establish interventions to improve access to green space, considering different demographic and socio-economic positions.

If you would like more information about this project, please contact Katherine Ord on 0908330@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

The evaluation will provide an insight into the immediate and long term benefits (6 months and 12 months) of the intervention in terms of children’s and parents’ intentions and behaviour toward active travel. The project includes extensive measurement of attitudes, intentions, and behaviour through both subjective and objective means e.g pedometers (NL-1000), accelerometers (Actigraph), and GPS devices (Trackstick).

The study will also examine the socio-economic and seasonal variation in intentions and behaviors in active travel and will be focused on understanding behaviour through the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1986, 1991) along with the hypothesized moderating role of Habit in the determination of active commuting behaviour. 

If you would like more information about the Travelling Green Project, please contact Shemane Murtagh

The walking for health in adolescents study aims to investigate the quantity and quality of walking required to contribute to health enhancing physical activity in adolescent girls.

Only two in five adolescent girls meet the recommended levels of physical activity for health. This is a major concern and has been highlighted as a key priority in a number of national policies and strategies. In sedentary people, walking interventions have been found to successfully increase walking and overall activity, and initiatives such as setting walking goals with respect to number of steps have been successful with adults. However, it is difficult to promote similar walking initiatives with adolescent girls due to a lack of well established evidence regarding how much walking should be advocated for good health, and also how to evaluate walking programmes and walking activity in light of current physical activity guidelines. This project aims to provide guidelines with respect to both the quality and quantity of walking that might be advocated in adolescents to promote health enhancing physical activity.

The Study consists of two phases and will involve girls aged 12-15 years, recruited from secondary schools in and around Edinburgh. The study will involve data collection in controlled conditions within the school environment (phase 1) and during free-living activity (phase 2). 

Phase 1 aims to identify guidelines for steps that equate to 1 hour of moderate intensity activity in adolescents, as well as identifying methods for the objective evaluation of walking activity and walking interventions in adolescents. A main objective in phase 1 will be to identify an appropriate measurement instrument (pedometer) that is able to quantify ‘moderate intensity stepping’ within the adolescent population.

Phase 2 aims to identify step count targets for contributing to health in adolescents.

The main objective in phase 2 will be to identify health related step count targets for

adolescents with respect to low and moderate intensity stepping for health and explore whether it is critical to take into account walking intensity when setting step count targets.

This study will provide information on guidelines to inform walking interventions in adolescents.  The key focus at the outset will be adolescent girls; however the studies may widen the participant focus to both males and females.

The walking for health in adolescents study is funded by SPARColl’s physical activity for health Studentship program and is part of the Teenactive research group.

If you would like more information about the walking for heath in adolescents study, please contact Mhairi MacDonald. E-mail: mm450@hw.ac.uk