Conference Agenda

Inequities in access to greenspaces and the countryside persist for underrepresented communities, despite growing evidence of their physical and mental health benefits. This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of accessing greenspaces and the countryside among under-represented communities in Luton and Dunstable, UK, to understand community-specific barriers and enablers and to identify opportunities for more inclusive provision.

Data were collected through 14 focus groups (n = 122) with community members. Participants reflected a wide range of ethnicities, ages, genders, and educational levels. Data were analysed thematically.

Findings identified three overarching themes from the focus group workshops: (1) enablers for accessing greenspaces and the countryside, (2) barriers for accessing greenspaces and the countryside, and (3) co-creating sustainable and scalable activities to overcome identified barriers.

Overall access to greenspaces and the countryside is shaped by intersecting structural, social and cultural factors. Centring community voices, strengthening local relationships and adopting co-designed targeted approached are critical to improving equitable access and supporting sustained engagement with outdoor environments.

In the UK, disparities in urban greenspace use persist, particularly among low-income and ethnically diverse communities. Understanding how people engage with greenspaces, and the barriers and facilitators influencing use, is critical to improving equitable access. This study examined patterns of greenspace engagement within an ethnically diverse population and applied the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour) to identify determinants of use.

A cross-sectional survey, conducted across two ethnically diverse towns in southeast England investigated greenspace usage, including activities and reasons for using greenspaces and included the Brief Measure of Behavior Change (COM-B). The survey was shared online via Qualtrics and widely disseminated in the local community via bilingual fieldworkers and community networks. The sample comprised 906 participants (60.7 % female; mean age 38 ± 16.37 years).

The findings revealed that the use of greenspaces was low with around 33 % visiting greenspaces frequently (at least once a week). Older people, those with higher levels of deprivation and/or those from a minority ethnic background were all shown to be the lowest users of greenspaces. The findings also confirmed that the types of activities and reasons for visiting greenspaces were shown to vary by a range of socio-demographic characteristics. The COM-B model was shown to be a useful explanatory framework with physical capability and motivation identified as significant predictors of frequency of greenspace use. We now encourage future research to consider what factors underpin motivation and the opportunities to use greenspaces, and how these vary across the wider population.

Older adults (65+ years), women, and ethnic minority communities have been less likely to access greenspaces, contributing to inequalities in physical activity, wellbeing, and nature connection. In response, this project presented the Collaborative Targeted Outreach Programme (CTOP), a community-centred, co-produced intervention designed to improve equitable access to greenspace and the countryside for diverse Muslim communities in Luton.

The Collaborative Targeted Outreach Programme (CTOP) integrated the Talk, Listen, Change (TLC) ethnographic approach with World Café collaboration workshops and Appreciative Inquiry (Discover, Dream, Design, Destiny). Five Collaboration Café workshops engaged women, older men, and community stakeholders in culturally responsive, gender-sensitive discussion spaces. Using visual prompts, collage building, and structured dialogue, participants co-designed their “ideal” greenspace experience, exploring where to go, when to go, who to go with, how to get there, and what to do on arrival. Data were analysed using framework analysis to inform intervention development.

The subsequent participatory action research phase operationalised the “Destiny” stage, translating community insight into supported greenspace visits. Guided visits were co-delivered with community organisations and incorporated reflective mapping, audio-visual capture of lived experience, and pre- and post-confidence and wellbeing measures. A steering group and collective reflection process supported iterative refinement and local capacity building.

Preliminary findings suggested that partnership-based, co-created approaches helped to reduce practical, cultural, and perceptual barriers to countryside access. CTOP demonstrated the potential of inclusive, strengths-based nature interventions to support more equitable participation in greenspace and enhance confidence, physical activity, and wellbeing.

The built environment plays a critical role in public health by shaping opportunities for physical activity. However, ethnically diverse communities in urban UK settings are less likely to engage with the built environment for physical activity, contributing to persistent health inequalities. Evidence synthesising the factors influencing this engagement remains limited. This scoping review therefore examined the factors affecting engagement with the built environment for physical activity among diverse communities in the UK.

Five databases (CINAHL, Medline, SocINDEX, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched (January 2015–April 2025). The review followed JBI evidence synthesis methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies were included where participants were UK adults (≥18 years) from Eastern European, Black African, Black Caribbean, and South Asian communities. Qualitative data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis and subsequently mapped deductively onto the COM-B model and Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF).

Of 2,298 records screened, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria (3 quantitative, 5 qualitative, 2 mixed-methods). Fourteen themed factors were identified and mapped across COM-B domains: physical capability (n=1), psychological capability (n=1), physical opportunity (n=2), social opportunity (n=5), automatic motivation (n=2), and reflective motivation (n=3). Key themes included health status, knowledge, cultural and religious influences, socioeconomic constraints, environmental conditions, and health beliefs and habits.

Findings highlight the importance of culturally responsive, community-engaged approaches when designing policies and interventions to enhance equitable access to supportive built environments for physical activity. This review contributes to an equalities-focused understanding of engagement with the built environment in the UK.