Adding strong evidence in support of “walkable” neighborhoods, a large national study found that the built environment can indeed increase the number of people who walk.
The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiologyshowed a strong connection between place and activity by studying about 11,000 twins, which helps control for family influences and genetic factors. The researchers found that every 1% increase in the “walkability” of an area resulted in a 0.42% increase in walkability in the neighborhood. When expanded, that means a 55% increase in the walkability of the surrounding neighborhood would result in about 23% more walking, or about 19 minutes per week for every resident living in that area.
In public health terms, that can make a big difference for the highly sedentary American population, according to the study’s lead author, Glen Duncan, a professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at Washington State University.
“We have so many people in the U.S. population who don’t get enough activity. If we could change the percentage of the population to just start walking more easily, we would see real health benefits,” said Duncan, who is also the director from the Washington State Twin Registry.
For the study, neighborhoods were considered walkable based on an index that assesses the density of people, roads and desirable places to walk, such as shops, parks, restaurants and cafes. The twin pairs in the study lived in all parts of the United States, but the most walkable neighborhoods were typically in urban areas.
Seattle’s Capitol Hill area is a good example of a walkable neighborhood, Duncan said, given its profusion of shops and restaurants, as well as access to public transportation such as buses and a light rail station. On the other hand, more suburban or rural areas tend to be less walkable, requiring driving to access groceries or other services.
The study analyzed data from surveys of 5,477 pairs of twins conducted between 2009 and 2020 that included information about where they lived and the number of minutes walked in a typical week, whether for recreation, exercise or simply getting from one place to another. The analysis revealed that those who lived in areas considered more walkable actually walked more.
The researchers also looked at whether an area’s walkability increased public transportation use, but few study participants used public transportation. However, living in a walkable neighborhood reduced the likelihood of not using public transportation by 32%.
Living in a walkable area did not appear to have an effect on more vigorous exercise, but the authors note that this type of exercise, which includes running and weight lifting, is not limited to the neighborhood environment. For example, a person might take a vigorous bike ride that would take them far beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood.
Still, Duncan emphasized that walking is a great and easy way to improve health. It also counts towards the widely recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
“You don’t have to spend a lot of money on sports clothes and the best equipment. Walking is very natural. You just put on some shoes and walk out the door,” he said.
In addition to Duncan, co-authors on this study include researchers from the University of Washington, the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, Columbia University and WSU.