Neighborhood Design Impacts Walking Levels

Many Americans don’t get enough exercise. A lack of physical activity can increase the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. A new study suggests that your neighborhood’s design can affect how many steps you get in a day.

Walking provides many health benefits. But some neighborhoods aren’t as easy to get around on foot. They may lack sidewalks, parks, or nearby shops to entice you to go for a walk.

Researchers looked at how many daily steps people got before and after moving to more walkable neighborhoods. They analyzed data from study participants’ fitness smartphone apps. The neighborhoods were given a walkability score based on measures of pedestrian friendliness. For example, less distances to stores and parks led to higher scores.

Researchers found that people walked more when living in places with higher walkability. This trend showed up across age, gender, weight, and fitness levels. The only exception was women over age 50. Their steps didn’t change after relocating. People who moved to more walkable neighborhoods also walked faster.

“Our study shows that how much you walk is not just a question of motivation,” says Dr. Tim Althoff at the University of Washington. “There are many things that affect daily steps, and the built environment is clearly one of them."