Neighborhood Safety and Personal Attitude May Impact Walking Among Low Socioeconomic Status People
Article Summary

Neighborhood Safety and Personal Attitude May Impact Walking Among Low Socioeconomic Status People

March 2012
Author:
Yong Yang
Topic:
Communities, Zoning and Mixed Land Use, Crime, Social and Cultural Environment
Population Served:
Adults, Lower-income Families
Location by State:
National
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Summary:

The Challenge: Regular physical activity can help prevent chronic diseases, decrease the risk of obesity, and enhance mental health, but people with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to physically active.

Make an impact: Increasing walking among people with lower socioeconomic status could reduce socioeconomic disparities in physical activity, and lead to higher rates of walking overall.

What the findings are about: This study used a computer model to examine the impact of two strategies commonly proposed for increasing walking: 1) improving people’s attitudes towards walking (e.g., through health education campaigns) and 2) improving safety (e.g., through community policing efforts). It also explored whether the impact of these interventions is modified by mixed land use.

Key Findings and Recommendations:
  • People may walk more often if they have a more positive attitude towards walking, but walking may be limited by other features of the environment, such as safety.
  • Improving neighborhood safety led to more walking among lower socioeconomic status groups, and this effect was magnified in neighborhoods with a greater percentage of land dedicated to non-residential uses.
  • Together with other methods, including observational studies, experiments and trials, this type of computer model may contribute to an understanding of what types of interventions improve population levels of walking and reduce socioeconomic differences in walking behaviors, and eventually inform decisions that can benefit people’s health.

 

Read the full article: Exploring Walking Differences by Socioeconomic Status Using a Spatial Agent-based Model

Suggested Citations:
Yang, Y., Diez Roux, A.V., Auchincloss, A.H., Rodríguez, D.A., Brown, D.G. (2012). Exploring Walking Differences by Socioeconomic Status using a Spatial Agent-based Model. Health & Place, 18(1), 96-99.
 

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