Global study identifies neighbourhood characteristics that promote walking & cycling

How people perceive their own neighbourhoods may have a lot to do with whether they choose to walk and cycle, according to a global study of nearly 40,000 adults. Simon Fraser University health sciences professor Scott Lear says those who are most likely to walk more than 150 minutes a week for commuting or leisure purposes reported their neighbourhoods had more desirable features. The likelihood of cycling and walking was associated with land use mix-diversity (amenities such as stores or parks within a 20-minute walk), street connectivity (number of three and four-way intersections) and safety from crime. -Cycling and walking are two excellent ways to weave exercise into daily life and meet those fitness goals outlined in many New Year's resolutions,- says Lear, who was part of an international team whose research, published in Cities , spanned 21 countries. -We sought to understand how factors in the built environment can either promote or discourage a person from engaging in these forms of physical activity. Study participants were between the ages of 35-70 living in more than 350 urban communities from low, middle and high-income countries as classified by the World Bank. -Levels of physical inactivity are rising globally and in high income countries such as Canada, over 70 per cent of adults are physically inactive - says Lear.