Effect of the interaction with informal green space on physical activity: An analysis of potted street gardens in Tangier, Morocco.

Résumé

Objectives: Accumulating research findings shows that encouraging exposure to urban greenspaces (UGS) can be a strategic and far-reaching way to increase physical activity (PA). However, most UGS–PA studies have focused on formal green spaces rather than on informal ones, even though parks and public gardens are not equitably distributed, and research shows that informal UGS are spontaneously used by urban communities to cope with UGS scarcity, especially in dense residential neighborhoods. The objective of this research was to study the correlation between PA duration and ownership of potted street gardens (PSG), an informal UGS, in a densely populated Moroccan neighborhood.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: Data were collected using a face-to-face survey conducted in January 2019 in Tangier, Morocco. Participants were selected using a systematic random sampling method. We measured weekly walking duration and data were analyzed using weighted linear regression (WLS).

Results: There was no significant difference between PSG owners and nonowners in weekly walking duration. PSG ownership moderated the association between weekly walking duration and social capital (F(1,334) = 5.624, p < .05. R² change = .008). Among PSG owners, one year increase in PSG age was associated with 6 minutes decrease in weekly walking duration (b=-.54, CI=-.90/-.18; p < .01), one minute increase in weekly care duration was associated with a ½ minute increase in weekly walking duration (b=.40, CI = -.038/.75; p < .05), and an addition of in the diversity of recreational activities (eating, siting, chatting with neighbors, etc.) done next to PSG was associated with 17 minutes increase in weekly walking duration in the neighborhood (b=16.91, CI=1.08/32.75; p < .05). High neighborhood satisfaction and social capital score were associated with longer weekly walks in the neighborhood but only People without PSG.

Implications: PSG’ owners that had more social and gardening activities next to their PSG walked significantly longer than others. Owners with higher social capital walked less, possibly because they spend more time next to their PSG, chatting or socializing. PSG as a gardening venue may be used to encourage PA.