The perceptions of and frequency of visits to local urban woodlands in deprived communities amongst parents and care-givers of children

A growing body of evidence suggests that green spaces may influence, positively, psychological wellbeing; promote physical activity and social interaction. However, many groups of people fail to visit these types of environment including women with young children. Previous research has identified strong relationship between frequent childhood visits and being prepared to visit woodlands or green spaces alone as an adult. By contrast, not visiting as a child was associated with a very low likelihood of later adult visits.This paper presents the finding of a survey undertaken in six deprived communities across Scotland in 2013 (n=2117). We focus on the frequency of visits to the woodlands by parents with children currently aged under 16 (n=569) living within 1.5km of the boundaries of their local woodlands. We also consider their perceptions of the woodlands, particularly in terms of accessibility and safety, as well as examine gender differences Preliminary findings show that visits to the woodlands was low amongst parents. Among those with parental responsibilities, men were more likely to visit woodlands than women (p<0,05). These findings are important to set up the baseline framework as it will help to monitor what type of interventions can change perceptions and enhance access to woodlands amongst parents and care-givers of children.