The number of local authority play parks available to children varies drastically across Scotland, fuelling fears for the future health of the nation, a survey shows.

Research which compared the number of council playgrounds with the child population in each area unearthed wide variations in what is on offer.

At one end of the scale, the Shetland Islands has one playground for every 49 children, while in the Highlands the ratio is 1/50. However, in Edinburgh there is just one playground for every 400 young people.

Dundee has one playground for every 293 children, Glasgow one per 224 and Dumfries and Galloway one per 104. The national average is one playground for every 250 children.

Play Scotland, which conducted the survey, last night called for local authorities with fewer facilities to improve provision.

The children's charity also announced that is to launch a second survey into the quality and quantity of school playgrounds amid fears informal play space is being lost through PPP rebuilding projects.

Yesterday, The Herald revealed that sportscotland, the national sports development agency, has draw up new guidelines to protect school playing fields from the growing threat from property developers. The guidelines set out for the first time the recommended number and size of outdoor pitches primary and secondary schools need to deliver the PE curriculum.

Sportscotland acted amidst mounting concern that too much green space around schools is being lost as part of the growing number of PPP initiatives to rebuild and refurbish schools.

Research has shown that Scottish pupils take part in less physical education than nearly any other country in the developed world, while one-third of children in Scotland say they never play outside.

Yesterday, Play Scotland said the survey raised serious concerns over the ability of children in some parts of Scotland to exercise their right to play, enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Marguerite Hunter Blair, chief executive of Play Scotland, said having as much play space as possible was important because research had shown that where facilities were available, children used them.

"Having good outdoor facilities acts as a catalyst because it attracts lots of informal play. We accept this is a snapshot which does not look at quality, but it shows a wide disparity between what is on offer in different parts of the country and we think something should be done about that.

"I feel local authorities are not spending enough on outdoor play at a time when there is a lot of evidence that children who don't play outside suffer more from mental disorders, lower educational achievement and poorer health." Mrs Hunter Blair said the organisation would now be assessing the quantity and quality of school playgrounds to safeguard their future.

Charles Gray, education spokesman for Cosla, which represents local authorities, said it was up to council officials to ensure young people had enough space to play.

"Because of the pressure on land it has been difficult to spend much on leisure and recreation and this survey is a timely reminder of the importance of that.

"Part of the problem in schools is that some playground space is now being used for car parking which 50 years ago would have been available for play."

A spokeswoman for sportscotland said: "Play does not fall within the remit of sportscotland, but whilst sportscotland's interest in this area is to see the right quantity and quality of playing fields in Scotland's schools, we recognise the wider importance of school grounds."