Park prescription programs and the use of city parks by preschool groups for nature play are examples of how parks are being used in some cities to promote health- and education-related goals for children. While such initiatives offer promise of improved health and well-being, implementation barriers, lack of evaluation studies, and unequal access to parks are areas of concern.

Park prescription programs are growing in popularity, but more research is needed to support and guide the practice

Researchers from the US concluded from their review of the literature that the evidence in support of “nature prescription” or “park prescription” programs is “too sparse to draw patterns in health outcome responses.” The researchers call attention to the overall lack of evaluation of nature prescription programs and highlight related research opportunities.
Kondo et al. 2020. Nature prescriptions for health: A review of evidence and research opportunities.

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Increasing access to green space could be used to promote health equity

This review, which included studies from multiple countries, found that green space had more protective effects for lower-income groups than higher-income groups. Of the different types of green space, public spaces/parks provided stronger protective effects for this population than other types, including green land cover.
Rigolon et al. 2021. Green space and health equity: A systematic review on the potential of green space to reduce health disparities.

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Preschools value parks for nature play, but face barriers to their use

Surveys and focus groups were used to investigate whether parkland in Duluth, Minnesota (U.S.) provides access for preschools to incorporate nature play in their programming. Responses showed strong support for nature play in city parks, but barriers beyond proximity limit their use. Such barriers include concerns relating to weather, policy, and human behavior.
Beery, 2020. Exploring access to nature play in urban parks: Resilience, sustainability, and early childhood.

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High-quality parks and safe, walkable, built environments can enhance neighborhood social capital in low-income communities of color

Surveys completed by 1,611 parents of young children living in low-income communities of color in the United States showed that their satisfaction with parks (park quality) and other aspects of the built environment (neighborhood walkability and absence of crime) were positively linked to social capital. For this population, frequency of park use and access were not strongly related to social capital.
Mullenbach et al. 2022. Cultivating social capital in diverse, low-income neighborhoods: The value of parks for parents with young children. 

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Transit agencies have a role to play in addressing environmental injustices relating to park access

This study used a novel measure of public transit access to parks (T2P) to investigate how accessibility to large parks via transit vary by neighborhood socio-demographic characteristics in the western United States. Results provide some evidence of environmental injustice, with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities having not only worse walking access to large parks, but also worse transit access to such parks than non-Hispanic White people.
Park et al. 2021. Transit to parks: An environmental justice study of transit access to large parks in the U.S. West.

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National study finds inequities in park-related benefits for children

Researchers using data based on a large nationally (U.S.) representative sample found that children with neighborhood parks are physically and mentally healthier than children lacking neighborhood parks. They also found differences in who had neighborhood parks and who did not. Children more often lacking nearby parks included African-American children in urban settings and children from low-income homes in non-urban settings.
Reuben et al. 2020. Association of neighborhood parks with child health in the United States.

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Social and environmental factors influencing the use of parks by children and families include crime, neighborhood walkability, traffic, park maintenance, and parental support. Age, socio-economic status, and access to multiple types of greenspace also play a role. Park visitors enjoy both active and passive engagement with natural and constructed features in parks. While in the park, they’re also likely to express positive emotions. The probability and intensity of positive emotions are linked to the level of greenness.

Access to multiple types of greenspace is a stronger predictor of greenspace use by children than parental support

A survey completed by over 3,000 Danish parents indicated that age and geographic location were the only socio-demographic factors linked to how often children used greenspace. Adolescents used greenspace less frequently than younger children. Parental concern and support were predictors of use, but to a lesser extent than accessibility. The strongest predictor was walking or cycling access to multiple types of greenspace.
Arvidsen et al. 2022. Demographic, social, and environmental factors predicting Danish children’s greenspace use.

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Children engage in both active and passive water play in constructed and natural water features

This study focused on children’s play with water in three urban green spaces in Sheffield (UK). Two were neighborhood parks; one a civic open space. Water features used by the children were both natural (ponds) and constructed (fountain with multiple water jets), with the constructed features being of greater interest to the children than natural features. Their engagement with water was both active and passive.
Bozkurt & Woolley, 2020. Let’s splash: Children’s active and passive water play in constructed and natural water features in urban green spaces in Sheffield.

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Observations and interviews yield information about how urban parks are used and how visitors perceive the parks

Observations conducted in 15 urban parks in Portland, Oregon (U.S.) found that over 90% of observed children were engaged in physical recreation and 75% were interacting with other children. Interviews with adult visitors indicated that their priorities for parks include proximity, trails and paths, and maintenance. Feelings of safety and community atmosphere influenced their perception of park accessibility and experience while in the park.
Talal & Santelmann, 2021. Visitor access, use, and desired improvements in urban parks.

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Neighborhood socioeconomic status moderates the way other factors influence children’s park-based physical activity

Observations of children in 32 parks in Hong Kong indicated that socioeconomic status (SES) significantly moderated the extent to which other factors influenced their park-based physical activity (PA). For children in low SES areas, neighborhood walkability and different PA facilities were more positively associated with park-based PA than park size and aesthetics. For children living in high-income neighborhoods, the quality of park amenities played a larger role in determining their active park use.
Zhang et al. 2022. Park and neighbourhood environmental characteristics associated with park-based physical activity among children in a high-density city.

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Parks with greater greenness are especially conducive for positive emotions

Photos of human faces posted by users of Sina Weibo, China’s largest social media platform, were analyzed for this study. All of the photos were taken within 34 green park spaces in three northern provincial capital cities in China. Results showed that greater greenness of an area increased the probability and intensity of emotion expression in that area, with happiness being expressed the most often and most strongly.
Zhu et al. 2021. Quantifying emotional differences in urban green spaces extracted from photos on social networking sites: A study of 34 parks in three cities in northern China.

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In some cities, lock-downs during COVID-19 increased people’s use of neighborhood parks. Related research indicates that increased access to parks and open spaces should be considered a part of pandemic preparedness.

For some children, parks played a role in their physical activity levels during COVID

A study exploring changes in movement behaviors of Canadian children during the COVID-19 pandemic found that physical activity levels increased for some children and decreased for others. Factors related to level of physical activity include age, access to parks, and other environmental features. Findings of the study highlight the importance of access to parks and open spaces as a contributor to the health and well-being of children.
Mitra et al. 2020. Healthy movement behaviors in children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the role of the neighborhood environment.

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Urban nature and open spaces have a role to play in pandemic preparedness

Data relating to 53,000 users of mobile tracking devises indicated that inhabitants of Oslo, Norway increased their time outdoors in green spaces both during and after the COVID lockdown. During the first stages of the lockdown, their recreational use of outdoor spaces increased by 240%. Four months after lockdown restrictions were eased, their outdoor recreational activity remained 89% above what would have been expected given the time of year and prevailing weather conditions.
Venter et al. 2021. Back to nature: Norwegians sustain increased recreation use of urban green space months after the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Recreational use of green space increased dramatically during COVID-19 in Oslo, Norway

Mobile tracking data from thousands of recreationists in Oslo, Norway showed that outdoor recreational activity within the municipality increased approximately 291% during lockdown relative to a 3-year average for the same days during previous years. The changes were not the same throughout the city. While activities were intensified in the urban periphery, there were only marginal increases — and, in some areas, decreases — near the more densely built city center.
Venter et al. 2020. Urban nature in a time of crisis: Recreational use of green space increases during the COVID-19 outbreak in Oslo, Norway.

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