Factors influencing the use of green space: Results from a Danish national representative survey

Policy makers in Denmark are increasingly recognising the potential health benefits associated with green space, in particular with the use of green space. Knowledge on how green space is used, why it is used, and which factors influence its use, is becoming interesting for researchers, city planners and managers of green space. The present study is based on data from a nationwide study of 11 238 randomly selected adult Danes. Respondents were asked about the distance to four different types of green space, their frequency of use of each of these types of green space, and the main reasons for visiting green space. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between potential predictor factors and visits to green space at least a few times per week. Results show that 66.9% of the respondents live within 300 m of green space, 43.0% visit green space every day and 91.5% visit green space at least once a week. Only 0.9% never visit green space. To enjoy the weather and get fresh air is the most important reason for visiting green space for 87.2% of the respondents. Distance to green space is not a limiting factor for the majority of the Danish population and for that reason we recommend a thorough analysis of a neighbourhood or city, its population, and the available green spaces, before deciding on a viable strategy to increase the use of green space. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.