Encouraging under-represented groups to use woodlands and green spaces for physical activity

Jake Morris and Liz O’BrienSocial and Economic Research Group

Forest Research

Environment, Well-Being and Healthy Lifestyle

Staffordshire University21st October 2009

jake.morris@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

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Active England

ContentsBackground:• Health, inequality, green space• Active England programme• 5 woodland projects

Research:• Methods & headline findings• Results for ‘users’ and ‘non-users’• Lessons learnt / recommendations

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Active England

Health and physical activity

•23.6% of adults in England are obese (DOH’s Health profile of England 2008)

•Based on current trends 50% of women, 60% of men and 25% of children will be obese by 2050

•Only 37% of men and 24% of women meet recommended level of physical activity (30 minutes of exercise on at least 5 days a week)

Health problem

Health and social care

Wider economy

Mental ill health

£12 billion per annum

£64 billion

Obesity £1 billion £2.3 billion

Diabetes £1.3 billion Unknown

Costs of health problems in England

Sustainable Development Commission, 2007

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Active England

Health, inequality and green space

Growing body of research to show that woodlands and green spaces can be beneficial to people’s health and well-being.

BUT, opportunities for healthy exercise, recreation and access to green space are not equally distributed across society

‘Outdoor activities are often associated with white, middle aged, middle class and non-disabled people’. DEFRA’s Diversity Action Plan ‘Outdoors for all?’

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Active England

The Active England Programme

• Established in 2003 with £94.8 million from Lottery and Sport England

• Aim of programme – to increase community participation in sport and physical activity in England

• Target groups• People on low incomes• People with disabilities• Women and girls• Black and ethnic minorities• Young people (under 16)• 45+ age group

• 241 projects funded for 3 years

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Active England

5 woodland projects funded3 ‘Site based’ and 2 Community Forests.

Funding: £500,000 to £2 million per project

Site based projects

Community Forest projects

Infrastructure Yes No

Equipment Yes No

Events Yes Yes

Facilitated access

Yes No

Led activities Yes Yes

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Active England

Forest Research’s evaluation

Methodology• Phase 1 – On-site surveys (at 8 sites) to track changes in ‘visitor’

and ‘visit’ profiles for each of the study sites• Phase 2 – Spatial analysis to produce a ‘catchment’ profile for

each site

- Comparison between ‘visitor’ & ‘catchment’ profiles -

• Phase 3 – Programme of qualitative research with ‘users’ and ‘non-users’ from surrounding communities.

Self–evaluation interviews with project staff.

DataQuantitative – 2,898 questionnaires completed across 8 sites

(baseline and repeat surveys)

Qualitative - 114 people (‘users’ and ‘non-users’) participated in an activity and a focus group discussion

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Phase 1: Key results: Changing ‘visitor’ profiles

• Significant increases in visitor numbers at Bedgebury, Haldon & Rosliston

Sites/year 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8

Bedgebury 51,000 182,000 273,000

Haldon 10,000 80,000 224,000

Rosliston 129,340 189,905

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Changing visitor profiles

• Low incomes - Visitors from low income households (<20K) increased at Community Forests.

Site based group attracted more visitors from high income households.

Pe

rcen

t

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Approximate annual income

N/AOver £50,000

£31,000 -

£50,000

£21,000 -

£30,000

£10,000 -

£20,000

Under £10,000

Pe

rcen

t

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Community

Other

afterbefore

Before or After

Site Based

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Changing visitor profiles

• Disability - No significant changes in the number of visitors with disabilities, blue badge holders, or those who were registered disabled.

• Women & girls - The overall proportion of female visitors increased in Greenwood CF from 44% to 57%.

There were extremely high numbers of females visiting Rosliston, at a ratio of 3:1 compared to males (due to the child friendly activities and facilities provided at the site).

• BME - All projects showed increases in visitors from Black and Minority Ethnic Groups, with a significant increase for the site based group (1.7% to 5.8%).

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Changing visitor profilesSignificant increase in the 16-44 age group at site based projects. Due to large investment in ‘family friendly’ infrastructure (creation of play areas, family cycle and walk tracks and equipment for archery, laser quest).

Q: How can a site be attractive to young and older visitors?

Site type Beforeproject

After project

Community group 16-44 age group

46.9% 47.8%

Community group 45+ 53.1% 52.2%

Site group16-44

39.7% 59.4%

Site group45+

60.3% 40.6%

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Phase 1: Key results:Changing ‘visit’ profiles

Site based projects: Significant increase in cycling, use of play areas and mountain biking

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Changing ‘visit’ profilesThere were significant decreases in solitary visits and increases in ‘social’ visits for both groupings.

Important because ‘other people’ = key motivating factor for continued participation

Before or After Total Community or Site

Based groups before after

On own 49.8% 27.0% 42.5%

Family 26.1% 38.0% 29.9%

Partner 15.9% 20.7% 17.4%

Friends 7.2% 14.1% 9.4%

Q8 Who

did you

come

with?

Organised

Group 1.0% .2% .8%

Community group

Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

On own 17.7% 9.5% 13.7%

Family 35.9% 59.5% 47.4%

Partner 30.4% 11.5% 21.2%

Friends 13.4% 12.7% 13.1%

Q8 Who

did you

come

with?

Organised

Group 2.7% 6.7% 4.6%

Site based group

Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

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Phase 2: Catchment profiles

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Phase 2: Catchment profiles – guaging (under-)representationRosliston’s visitor profile revealed a small increase in the proportion of BME visitors, from 0% in 2005 to 3.2% in 2006.BUT, many visitors are from wards showing a >5% representation of citizens belonging to BME groups.Conclusion: BME groups still under-represented at Rosliston.

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Barriers for non-usersLack of information and awareness

Lack of confidence

Safety concerns for women and children

Feeling unwelcome

Cultural norms of accessing green spaces

Health problems and restricted mobility

Money issues (cost of transport)

Lack of facilities for children

Lack of transport – buses, trains, car

Work patterns and time

Littering – rubbish, drug needles

Psychological and social/cultural barriers

Physical and structural barriers

NB many barriers lie outside the conventional remit of forest management

Phase 3: Evaluation: barriers for ‘non-users’

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Phase 3: Evaluation: benefits to project ‘users’

Benefit themes Quotes and what people enjoyed

Re-affirming sense of self Childhood / family memories of the outdoors, climbing trees, building dens

Nature – outdoors, senses and aesthetics

Fresh air, scenery, variety, changing seasons, seeing, feeling, smelling, woods screening traffic and noise ‘it’s an escape’

Social networks and socialising Support from staff, meet others, motivation to continue activity ‘I think it’s a good way to meet people’Group as important as the activity

Health: physical and mental Keeping mobile, energised, mental well-being, relaxed, feel healthy, therapeutic, stress reduction‘my doctor said I should walk a mile every morning and every evening for my back’

Achievement and learning Developing new skills, gaining confidence, accomplishment ‘you get a sense of achievement and accomplishment’

Enjoyment Adventure, fun, escapism, having a laugh, exhilarated

Wider life impacts Leading on to further exercise, new friends, training to be a volunteer, undertaking new challenges ‘if I hadn’t come here I wouldn’t have considered doing the race for life’

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Active England

Intervention type Examples Benefits / draw-backs

Events Fun runs, craft fairs, cycle event, activity day

Raise awareness amongst large audience, but untargeted, and little sustained impact

Site infrastructure improvements

Cycle tracks, walk trails, play areas, visitor centre

Boost visitor numbers, but how many will be from target groups?

Equipment purchases

Laser quest, archery, climbing wall

Attract new audiences, can be tailored to needs of target groups, but just a one-off?

Led activities Health walks, cycle rides, nature walks

Low numbers, but provides regular activity for those who would not visit alone / lack partner / want to socialise

Facilitated access Bring target group to site for activity

Low numbers, but will reach groups not confident to visit alone and who lack cultural norms of visiting woods e.g. BME groups

How to reach under-represented groups – scatter-gun, or targeted, sustained impact on individuals?

More sustainable

More people

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Key recommendations

• Targeted outreach work needs to be supported and adequately funded – as important as ‘project delivery’

• Volunteers provide a vital human resource and can ensure the sustained impact of projects

• Users emphasised the high social value of regular and scheduled group activities

• Often the group itself becomes the primary motivation for continued involvement in the activity

• Some of the barriers are outside the immediate influence of the organisations running the projects – partnership working is vital in trying to address these barriers

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To find out more about our work:

www.forestresearch.gov.uk/activeengland

www.forestresearch.gov.uk/peopleandtrees

SERG Conference - April 2010:

www.forestresearch.gov.uk/treesandsociety