Woodland Health for Youth (WHY) :

1. Woodland Health for Youth (WHY): an evaluation of physical health benefits derived from outdoor learning in natural environments (LINE) for school-age children Picture courtesy of SS2N • Plymouth University • Jennie Aronsson • Maria Tighe • Sue Waite

2. Today’s presentation Jennie Aronsson Alumni clinical-researcher, School of Nursing and Midwifery Institute of Education Naomi Wright, Freelance Researcher • Woodland Health for Youth (WHY) - a multi-agency cross-disciplinary project • Well-being and physical activity in Ham Woods – extended research project exploring children’s experiences of outdoor learning

3. Being a child in Plymouth… • The health and well-being of children in Plymouth is generally worse than the England average. • Deprivation in Plymouth is 26.2% - significantly higher than the England average and about 10,200 children under 16 live in poverty. • Obesity prevalence is strongly correlated with deprivation.

4. Prevalence of overweight among childrenNational Child Measurement Programme 2011/12 One in five children in Reception is overweight or obese (boys 23.5%, girls 21.6%) One in three children in Year 6 is overweight or obese (boys 35.4%, girls 32.4%) Child overweight (including obesity)/ excess weight: BMI ≥ 85th centile of the UK90 growth reference

5. Health and greenspace • Children who live close to green spaces have higher levels of physical activity and are less likely to experience an increase in BMI over time. • Children in poverty are nine times less likely to have access to green space, places to play and to live in environments with better air quality • Growing medical evidence shows that access to the natural environment improves child development, health and wellbeing, prevents disease and helps people recover from illness.

6. WHY – Woodland Health For Youth • Small-scale research project aiming to improve children’s physical activity and utilisation of natural greenspace • Action research methodology examines the relationship between children’s outdoor learning, levels of physical activity, healthy weight and use of greenspace. 

7. Partnership projects • Learning from and capitalising upon earlier and linked projects: • Natural Connections Demonstration Project LINE (Learning In Natural Environments) http://www.growingschools.org.uk/about/natural-connections • Stepping Stones to Nature http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/steppingstones • Good from Woods http://www.silvanustrust.org.uk/

8. Multi-agency cross-disciplinary partnership

9. Research aims • Evaluate the physical health benefits of LINE • In order to: • Identify barriers to outdoor health promotion in greenspace • Create healthier school environments • Improve parental and child involvement in healthy weight management strategies

10. Research elements • Audit of school grounds and local woodland with SS2N • 1 Natural connections school; year 2 class (age 6-7) • 10 children selected: gender & attainment mix • National Child Measurement Programme data from Reception • Interim measurement • Accelerometer data of moderate to vigorous physical activity • Observational/reflective fieldnotes • Feedback to partners, parents and school

11. Key accelerometry findings • Higher MVPA during outdoor lessons than indoor (especially boys 20.6% ± 6.5 SD in MVPA compared to 14.7% ± 7.1 SD for girls, p=0.009) • Higher MVPA in woodland compared to school grounds (19.0% ± 7.2 SD in woodland LINE, 13.7% ± 4.8 SD in school ground LINE, p=0.001) • Highest MVPA at break time & lunchtime (33.2%) - but big individual differences between children (± 17.3 SD) • Outdoor curricular activities may offer more equal way of increasing overall physical activity levels

12. Comparison between BMI in Reception year and year 2

13. Identifying barriers to outdoor health promotion in greenspace • Accessibility - vastly improved by SS2N through capital works • Socioeconomic barriers - offer all children regardless of background LINE as part of the curriculum • Risk-averse culture in the UK - children influencing the attitudes and behaviour of their parents • Frequency of childhood visits predicts frequency of adult visits to woodlands and green places

14. Creating healthier school environments • Range of different activities developing a multitude of skills • Happy active children: • 'This is fun!’ (girl looking for insects on a tree) • 'I love nature' (boy in the woodland) • 'I can feel the sun in my face and the fresh air' (girl in the woodland) • 'I feel tired now from all that running around' (boy on way back from woodland)

15. Creating healthier school environments (cont’d) • Green school grounds promote physical activity • However; children were more active in the woodlands than in the school ground • Woodland LINE offers greater freedom, wilder and more natural space, child-led learning, negotiated boundaries, created activities and managed risk

16. Improving parental and child involvement in healthy weight management strategies • Parents are invited to one LINE session/term to participate and provide feedback • Children’s feedback at the end of LINE session informs future lesson planning • Well-being and physical activity in Ham Woods - extended research project that will further explore children's, parents'/carers' and staff/volunteers' views and experiences of woodland LINE.

17. Well-being and physical activity in Ham Woods

18. Interviews and games

19. Observations

20. ‘The health and well-being of today’s children depend on us having the courage and imagination to rise to the challenge of doing things differently, to put sustainability and well-being before economic growth and bring about a more equal and fair society.’Professor Sir Michael Marmot (2010): The Marmot ReviewThank you!