The composition of green spaces and levels of physical activity of older people in Barcelona

Abstract

The study of urban green spaces (UGS) has received great attention from both academics and urban planners, as they offer a broad range of services offering an improvement in values for society. Urban open spaces provided with natural elements have been linked to a series of benefits, both for the environment and health and for the well-being of urban residents. This is possible since these places offer to the people the possibility to interact socially as well as with the environment, to the extent that they promote outdoor leisure and recreation activities. They are, therefore, suitable places for the practice of physical activity. The physiological and psychosocial health benefits of UGS are important to address the future challenges of aging in modern societies. The association between visitors to these spaces and increases in PA levels is related to a wide range of benefits especially among the elderly. The shape and composition of UGS can vary widely from the point of view of the infrastructure provided. In turn, these characteristics can influence the use that people make in these spaces. There is little evidence to explore the relationship between the provision of different types of natural landscapes present in UGS as well as the different types of surfaces available. Through the categorization of natural landscapes this exploration is possible. To contribute to this field of research, this research aims to analyze the relationship between the composition of UGS and its use by older people in a Mediterranean city like Barcelona. More specifically, this study explores the relationships between the provision of different types of natural landscapes and different types of available surfaces in UGS with the time spent and the PA intensity of the performed activities by the elderly. Additionally, the effect of certain individual characteristics such as gender or age is also analyzed. To carry out this study, it was necessary the use of GPS tracking data in combination with accelerometer data recorded in 63 older adults residing in Barcelona. Participants were provided of devices capable of making these records. They had to use it for 7 consecutive days in order to obtain their daily locations and the intensity of PA. Thus, the total time spent within these spaces was calculated in addition to the intensity (sedentary or active) of their activities to explore the use of different areas according to the type of vegetation and natural landscape in addition to the type of soil. The results of this study have shown that participants spent a median of 8.5 minutes within the analyzed UGS, and that registered sedentary activities predominate over active ones. It has been shown that hard soils are positively linked to the total time spent, while there is a negative association between soft soils and time spent on active behavior. The main conclusions drawn from this work indicate that age and health of the population are key aspects to take into account when building and designing UGS that are inclusive and accessible to all profiles of society, also highlighting the importance of other aspects such as accessibility (in terms of distance from home). Also, the type of surface plays a relevant role. Hard soils are related to a greater total time in these spaces while soft soils involve less time devoted to PA of active behavior.