73 Green2Gold: Creating and testing ‘Team GB Family Activity Trails’ for improving wellbeing and outdoor physical activity engagement in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

TL;DR

The Green2Gold project tested family-friendly outdoor trails linked to Olympic sports to improve health and wellbeing in Yorkshire.

Contribution

This study introduces and evaluates 'Team GB Family Activity Trails' as a novel green exercise intervention.

Findings

Participants showed significant improvements in general health, mental wellbeing, and nature engagement.

Adults reported increased perceived value of exercise and outdoor activity, while children showed improved future physical activity intentions.

Positive changes in physical and mental health were observed during and after walks along the trails.

Abstract

Systematic review evidence suggests that undertaking green exercise (GE; Coventry et al., 2021) including walking (Hanson & Jones, 2015) can positively impact health and wellbeing. The ‘Green2Gold’ project collaborated with The British Olympic Association to co-create ‘Team GB Family Activity Trails’, a novel GE intervention, in two locations. Signposts were installed along the walking routes containing co-designed activities linked to Olympic sports, physical activity (PA), and nature. Each signpost contained a unique QR code to provide users with additional activities on the project’s website. The study aimed to assess the impact of trail engagement on health, wellbeing, and physical activity.

In total, 37 participants age 5+ were recruited to test the trails three times within a six-week period. Pre- and post-intervention changes in perceived health, mental wellbeing, and PA and nature engagement were collected and analysed using paired-samples T-tests. Additional post-intervention feedback on enjoyment, motivators, and barriers were collected, with frequencies and crosstabulations calculated. In-the-moment changes in perceived health, mental wellbeing, and enjoyment were measured before and after each walk and compared using two-way repeated measures ANOVAs. Analyses were conducted using JASP v18.1.

Single item scores for general health (p < .001), multiple measures of mental health (p = .002-.043), and number of days engaging in nature (p = .002) significantly improved for both adults and children. Furthermore, significant pre-to-post intervention improvements in perceived value of exercise and being outdoors (p = .015-.031) and the number of days walking per week (p = .034) were reported for adults, with children demonstrating significantly improved future PA intention (p = .043). Overall, a significant effect of ‘Time’ was present for measures of perceived physical and mental health, fitness, nature connection, and inspiration (p < .05) when assessed from pre-to-post walk on three occasions. No significant effect for ‘Walk*Time’ was present.

The study provides preliminary evidence to support ‘Activity Trails’ endorsed by a well-recognised sporting body, such as an Olympic Association, as a free self-directed activity to elicit positive perceived health, mental wellbeing, and nature engagement outcomes at a community level.

No funding was received for the study.