![]() ![]() It was an affordable, pretty area that was a good base for work trips to southern Georgia. In the 1990s, when he was a newspaper reporter, he and his wife bought a house in Henry County, a far-flung Atlanta suburb. Goldberg said he was randomly selected for the study, but he also works for Smart Growth America, a nonprofit coalition that combats urban sprawl. Leinberger notes that some people can't afford housing in walkable neighborhoods, where homes can cost up to three times as much as similar housing in non-walkable areas.ĭavid Goldberg, a 44-year-old Decatur, Ga., resident who participated in the survey, has lived in both environments. Some move to less pedestrian-friendly areas because of concerns about crime or schools, Frank said. The researchers also noted that sometimes people don't end up living where they want. Twenty-three percent of them were exercisers living in places more conducive to driving than walking. The results, which are being published this fall in a peer-reviewed journal, Social Science & Medicine, are based on responses from 1,432 people. The study is based on detailed surveys done in the 13-county Atlanta region in 2001-02. "Walking and driving really change a lot in different neighborhood types, regardless of people's preferences," Frank said. Exercisers in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles a day, while those in non-walkable neighborhoods drove about 37 miles.Īmong non-exercisers, those in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles, and compared to 43 miles in areas that were mostly car-friendly. It was 12 percent for those in walkable areas versus 15 percent in non-walkable neighborhoods, a difference that was not statistically significant.Īmong those who prefer to drive, however, about 21.5 percent were obese, and it also didn't matter whether they lived in walkable or non-walkable neighborhoods. ![]() ![]() The research showed that exercisers had a similarly low obesity rate whether they lived in walkable neighborhoods or not. "He's the first one to make a connection between land use and obesity," said Christopher Leinberger, director of the University of Michigan's real estate program.įrank's current study examined whether a community's walkability affected obesity rates. Many are older neighborhoods, located in more urban areas.įrank is among a group of scientists who have shown that people who live in walkable neighborhoods tend to weigh less than people who live in more isolated and car-dependent areas. They are built in a way that makes it easier to walk and get to buses and trains. Walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods have sidewalks leading to nearby shops, restaurants or other destinations. "The bottom line is the built environment really does matter to health," said Lawrence Frank, a University of British Columbia researcher who led the study. Researchers said the findings point to the need for more exercise-friendly places to live. Study: 'Unwalkable' neighborhoods challenge the exercise-mindedĪTLANTA (AP) - Nearly one in four people in the Atlanta area are exercise enthusiasts stuck in neighborhoods without sidewalks or other walking amenities, according to a study that illustrates a problem for many Americans. ![]()
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