2 research outputs found
Physical activity as a possible mechanism behind the relationship between green space and health: A multilevel analysis
Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical activity (in general, and
more specifically, walking and cycling during leisure time and for commuting purposes, sports and
gardening) is an underlying mechanism in the relationship between the amount of green space in
people's direct living environment and self-perceived health. To study this, we first investigated
whether the amount of green space in the living environment is related to the level of physical
activity. When an association between green space and physical activity was found, we analysed
whether this could explain the relationship between green space and health.
Methods: The study includes 4.899 Dutch people who were interviewed about physical activity,
self-perceived health and demographic and socioeconomic background. The amount of green space
within a one-kilometre and a three-kilometre radius around the postal code coordinates was
calculated for each individual. Multivariate multilevel analyses and multilevel logistic regression
analyses were performed at two levels and with controls for socio-demographic characteristics and
urbanicity.
Results: No relationship was found between the amount of green space in the living environment
and whether or not people meet the Dutch public health recommendations for physical activity,
sports and walking for commuting purposes. People with more green space in their living
environment walked and cycled less often and fewer minutes during leisure time; people with more
green space garden more often and spend more time on gardening. Furthermore, if people cycle
for commuting purposes they spend more time on this if they live in a greener living environment.
Whether or not people garden, the time spent on gardening and time spent on cycling for
commuting purposes did not explain the relationship between green space and health.
Conclusion: Our study indicates that the amount of green space in the living environment is
scarcely related to the level of physical activity. Furthermore, the amount of physical activity
undertaken in greener living environments does not explain the relationship between green space
and health.