THE HEALTH PARKS ASSESSMENT

““Members (of our Friends of Ruskin Park) feel passionately about the blindingly obvious causative link between our health and the environment for the public park of this urban area”...”It’s quite a struggle to make consistent improvements. We want a more systematic and effective approach to deciding on priorities for the park and ensuring that they’re implemented.””
— Lucy Hadfield. Chair of Ruskin Park’s Friends Group. London Borough of Lambeth

The health parks assessment

Mortality rates associated with COVID 19 have often been exacerbated through the presence of underlying health conditions. As Covid declines, the risks of these underlying health conditions remain a threat to long term health. After record levels of usage of parks and green spaces through Covid, the importance of using and developing health promoting places and spaces remains as great as ever. To address these concerns, and to optimise parks and green spaces for health assessments are required to provide a baseline from which enhancements can be made.

Delivering parks and green spaces for health requires an objective, evidence based model. This must be independent, quantifiable, replicable, and user friendly. Based upon academic study, a detailed review of primary research, and by drawing on experience and qualifications in Landscape Design and Public Health, the Health Parks assessment model places parks and green spaces within the context of Public Health and primary prevention. It objectively assesses key landscape elements and activities, and interprets them within five Primary Health Criteria (Health Promotion, Accessibility, Physical Activity, Mental Wellbeing and Environment and Biodiversity). This information can be used to identify the strength of the park within each of these criteria, and also potential improvements and interventions. These can for the basis for the creation of Park Health Strategies; invaluable additional components of Park and Green Infrastructure Audits and Strategies.  

GREEN SPACE HEALTH REPORTS:

Each assessment represents a valuable resource in their own right. Where multiple parks are being assessed, the data can be developed to provide the following information:

  • Health profiles for the local population, identifying areas with a high prevalence of obesity, non-communicative diseases and mild mental ill-health.

  • The Health Status of each Park within each of the Primary Health Criteria (Accessibility, Mental Wellbeing, Physical Activity and Environment and Biodiversity)

  • Opportunities for Health Promotion by Borough, City, Ward, Community and Park.

  • Opportunities for green social prescribing by Borough, City, Ward, Community and Park.

  • Strengths or weaknesses in provision by element and park across Districts, Wards or communities, allowing consistent shortfalls to be addressed through targeted interventions

  • Guidance on how to use this data to support the prevention or treatment of avoidable medical conditions. (Obesity, non-communicative diseases and mild mental ill-health, Alzheimer’s and dementia).

    For more information on any of the above please contact us on healthparks@gmail.com or send us a message.