Does having children or a dog influence visits to urban green spaces?
Marco Garrido‐Cumbrera, Olta Braçe, Gina Patricia Suárez‐Cáceres, J. Correa-Fernández
Abstract
This study evaluates the differences between people who visit urban green spaces according to the type of accompaniment and whether it determines the visit, appreciation of green spaces and physical activity. The results show that walking with a dog or children explains the highest frequency of visits, followed by walking with an adult or alone. Men visit a greater proportion of green spaces either accompanied by another adult, a dog or alone. The exception is accompaniment with children, where women predominate. Walking a dog encourages daily visits to green spaces, and people who walk with a dog or children appreciate more the amount of green spaces available to them. In the absence of children, general practitioners and psychologists should prescribe adopting a dog as a way to promote healthy habits in people most at risk of loneliness and the elderly, since this will increase their visits to green spaces.