Active neighbourhood can make you healthier

Creating healthier cities is an important part of the public health


Ians April 04, 2016
Creating healthier cities is an important part of the public health. PHOTO: PLANH

NEW YORK: People living nearby markets, public transport stops and public parks do more physical activity in their neighbourhood and take up 90 minutes more exercise per week, a study has found.

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According to researchers, creating healthier cities is an important part of the public health response to the global disease burden of physical inactivity.

The four neighbourhood features, which were most strongly associated with increased physical activity, were - high residential density, number of intersections, number of public transport stops and number of parks within walking distance.

"Neighbourhoods with high residential density tend to have connected streets, shops and services meaning people will be more likely to walk to their local shops," said lead study author James Sallis from University of California, US.

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"Interestingly, distance to nearest transport stop was not associated with higher levels of physical activity, whereas the number of nearby transport stops was," Sallis added in the paper published in the journal The Lancet.

This might mean that with more options, people are more likely to walk further to get to a transport stop that best meets their needs.

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