Green areas as promoters of health, leisure and physical activity: a systematic review

Abstract

Green areas such as parks and squares are often used by communities as spaces for health promotion practices, such as leisure and physical activities. The availability of these places is recognized as a lifestyle component inversely related to chronic non-communicable diseases. Objective : To compile recent evidence on the potential of green areas in promoting health, leisure and physical activity practices to the people in their surroundings. Methods : This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines; and results presentation was based on the PICO approach. “PubMed” and “SciELO” databases were consulted, and publications of the last 10 years in English, Portuguese or Spanish were included. The search strategy involved the following keywords: green areas AND population health / green areas AND leisure activities / green areas AND exercise. Relevance : Cities worldwide are starting to adopt an urban health agenda, evidencing the relationship between urban spaces, natural resources and human health. A compilation of scientific evidence may assist decision makers in this task. Results : Nineteen studies were included in this review: 8 dealt with health aspects related to green areas, and 11 focused on the contributions of green areas to leisure and physical activities. Contributions : There seems to be an inverse association between the exposition to green spaces and the presence of common mental disorders, indicating a direct association between green areas, human wellbeing and quality of life, besides physiological parameters indicating relaxation. Characteristics of the green areas, type of infrastructure, aspects related to their surroundings, as well as sociodemographic characteristics may also influence the practice of physical activities.