Queen's University Belfast

Academic Institute

UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP)

Yes

E091

The Connswater Community Greenway was a large urban regeneration project involving the development of a new urban greenway in east Belfast which was opened to the public in 2017. Access to green and blue space such as that provided by the greenway is hypothesised to improve the health and mental wellbeing of local residents. Researchers at the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast have conducted research since 2010 evaluating the public health impact of the greenway. We have received funding as part of a large UK-wide research consortium to conduct a further investigation of the public health impact of the Connswater Community Greenway (CCG) on local residents five years after it has been opened. This is the first time that a 5-year follow-up study such as this has been undertaken. The proposed project will use administrative data (i.e. data that has been collected for the provision of services) to reduce the burden of local residents completing surveys. We plan to link geographical data on proximity to the CCG to primary care registration data, prescription medication data, hospital admission and death data, and birth outcomes data to evaluate the impact of the CCG on a range of health outcomes (such as mental ill-health, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and dementia) over the last decade. Comparisons will be made between those who live in electoral ward areas within 1-mile of the greenway (an approximate 15 minute walk) and those who live further away or in other similar urban areas. We will compare the difference in outcomes between those who live closest (within 400 metres of the greenway) to those who live further away (within 1200 metres). Finally, we will compare the outcomes for different groups of the population such as males/females, different age groups and those living in deprived areas.

This is the first study to investigate the impact of a green/blue space intervention at 5-year follow-up (Hunter et al, 2019) which enables us to explore the impact of the new urban greenway on NCDs, infections, birth outcomes and health inequalities. The greenway is hypothesised to improve the health of the local population via, for example: - time spent in green/blue space (such as that provided by the CCG) provides restoration and relaxation which improves mental wellbeing and reduces mental ill-health; - time spent in green/blue spaces promotes social interactions which improves mental wellbeing and reduces mental ill-health; - such spaces promote physical activity (including active travel) which is a known risk factor for NCDs; - access to green/blue space improves immunity and reduces the risk of infections; - time spent in green/blue space improves maternal and child health outcomes. If the greenway shows positive impacts at 5-years follow-up, we anticipate the impact will support further funding and development of green/blue spaces across NI and the rest of the UK and aid in the prevention of NCDs and reduce health inequalities.

03/11/2023

TRE