Green Walks: Healthy Ageing
Lead Research Organisation:
Anglia Ruskin University
Department Name: Fac of Arts, Humanities & Social Sci
Abstract
During and post Covid-19 lockdowns, the importance of access to green spaces for mental health has been highlighted. However, in the UK, we have deeply entrenched disparities in access to green spaces. A majority of care users over 64 and/or from non-white backgrounds do not believe they have local greenspaces within easy walking distance.
Green Walks will aid the UK population in finding greenspaces within easy walking distance of their homes, signposting environmental changes (such as flowers coming into bloom or local events) as incentive to get out of the house, and accompany care-users on their walks
The project will generate a green view database, using AI tools to extract images from existing mapping platforms to calculate the amount of visible green space along roads
The team will co-design a web-based AI search interface and mobile app together with social prescribing link workers and end users to generate personalised walks to and from home, through areas with the highest green views
The app will use spatialised audio to guide the user along the walk, as well as providing social accompaniment, and quick access to help and/or companionship. It will monitor the user's progress through GPS, motion data, and quick self-reported mental health cues.
The project contains a citizen-science element allowing stakeholders to add areas of interest, areas to be avoided, community information, and incentives for care users to get out of the house and into green environments and will interpret data about use of the green spaces by other users.
Green Walks will aid the UK population in finding greenspaces within easy walking distance of their homes, signposting environmental changes (such as flowers coming into bloom or local events) as incentive to get out of the house, and accompany care-users on their walks
The project will generate a green view database, using AI tools to extract images from existing mapping platforms to calculate the amount of visible green space along roads
The team will co-design a web-based AI search interface and mobile app together with social prescribing link workers and end users to generate personalised walks to and from home, through areas with the highest green views
The app will use spatialised audio to guide the user along the walk, as well as providing social accompaniment, and quick access to help and/or companionship. It will monitor the user's progress through GPS, motion data, and quick self-reported mental health cues.
The project contains a citizen-science element allowing stakeholders to add areas of interest, areas to be avoided, community information, and incentives for care users to get out of the house and into green environments and will interpret data about use of the green spaces by other users.
| Description | The UKRI Healthy Aging Catalyst Awards fund entrepreneurial academics who want to translate their research into impactful and scalable products, services and interventions. The funding offered entrepreneurial support and an opportunity to explore routes to market. About midway through the project, as we began investigating our datasets, it became clear that we had misunderstood our underlying data. The original plan was to develop "green view" maps. However, we learned that Google, Apple, and others don't map locations at regular intervals. This means one location may be mapped in June, when many plants and trees are in full foliage, whereas another location may have been mapped in February, when there is very little greenery. This meant the team could not rely on existing data and would have to manually map each location, which would be too expensive for the project to scale. However, through the process of pitching and refining the needs statement, it became clear that the true challenge is not navigating people to green spaces. The true challenge is getting people out the front door. The focus of the project shifted from developing maps, to linking people into citizen-science projects in order to give purpose to their daily activities. it became clear we had misunderstood a core element of our original proposal. The origi |
| Exploitation Route | A discussion with NASA's head of citizen science was enlightening. Although NASA explicitly does not gather demographic information about participants, from direct interaction they believe an unusually large percentage of participants are retirees looking to keep active and connected. The project shifted to an exploration of how tools such as iNaturalist could be customized to encourage older populations to exercise while taking photographs and gathering data. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Healthcare |
| URL | https://budsblooms.org |
| Description | The project explored a number of mobile phone apps, primarily iNaturalist's "iSeek", for identifying plants on nature walks. These apps were used by Norfolk and Waveney Mind to help train volunteers for their Nature Connect programme |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | Mind: Nature Connect |
| Organisation | MIND (Mental Health Charity) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Initial design research was conducted in partnership with Norfolk and Waveney Mind's Nature Connect program. The Green Walks PI supported the Nature Connect program by accompanying 20 walks and 4 forest bathing sessions in King's Lynn. During these sessions, he provided companionship and mentoring to Mind staff and service users. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Mind provided training to the PI and access to communities in the King's Lynn area. The King's Lynn project lead provided first-person feedback on the design of the app, and developed the initial prototype for the website. |
| Impact | Website in development at https://budsblooms.org |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | ARU and Essex Partnership University Trust research conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of context and insights to NHS mental health practitioners |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.aru.ac.uk/research/why-research-at-aru/health-performance-and-wellbeing |
| Description | Zinc Healthy Ageing pitch workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Practice pitching to industry, as part of the Zinc/UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge Catalyst workshops |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.zinc.vc/programmes/catalyst/ |