Associations of geospatial measures of greenspace with adolescent moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: A systematic review

Greenspace has been linked to adolescent health and well-being outcomes, with physical activity potential pathway for achieving benefits. Robust evidence is needed to inform policymaking and environmental interventions. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify, summarise, and evaluate studies on the associations between geospatial measures of greenspace (i.e., using geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS)) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescents. We followed the PRISMA statement guidelines. Five databases were searched using relevant keywords for articles published from 1980 onwards. Studies were imported to Covidence for duplicate screening, data extraction and quality assessment. Harvest plots were used to visually summarise and examine patterns in relationships between greenspace and adolescent MVPA. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria and provided sufficient data to extract associations of greenspace with adolescent MVPA. Seven articles reported positive relationships between greenspace and adolescent MVPA, five reported no significant associations, and two reported inconsistent results. All studies that measure actual greenspace exposure using GPS showed significant positive correlation with adolescents’ MVPA. While positive associations between greenspace and MVPA among adolescents were found in over half (64 %) of the studies included in this review, the number of studies specifically targeting this age group is limited. Exploring which features of greenspace encourage MVPA across different groups and examining the actual use of greenspace is needed. Addressing these gaps will provide more comprehensive evidence to inform policies and environmental strategies aimed at enhancing adolescent health and well-being.