Change in walking and body mass index following residential relocation: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis

J.A. Hirsch, A.V.D. Roux, K.A. Moore, K.R. Evenson and D.A. Rodriguez

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 3, e49-e56

Abstract: Objectives. We investigated whether moving to neighborhoods with closer proximity of destinations and greater street connectivity was associated with more walking, a greater probability of meeting the "Every Body Walk!" campaign goals (≤ 150 minutes/week of walking), and reductions in body mass index (BMI). Methods. We linked longitudinal data from 701 participants, who moved between 2 waves of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2004-2012), to a neighborhood walkability measure (Street Smart Walk Score) for each residential location. We used fixed-effects models to estimate if changes in walkability resulting from relocation were associated with simultaneous changes in walking behaviors and BMI. Results. Moving to a location with a 10-point higher Walk Score was associated with a 16.04 minutes per week (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.13, 29.96) increase in transport walking, 11% higher odds of meeting Every Body Walk! goals through transport walking (adjusted odds ratio = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.21), and a 0.06 kilogram per meters squared (95% CI = -0.12, -0.01) reduction in BMI. Change in walkability was not associated with change in leisure walking. Conclusions. Our findings illustrated the potential for neighborhood infrastructure to support health-enhancing behaviors and overall health of people in the United States.

Keywords: aged; article; atherosclerosis; body mass; confidence interval; demography; environmental planning; ethnic group; ethnology; female; health behavior; human; longitudinal study; male; middle aged; motivation; questionnaire; risk; United States; very elderly; walking, Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Atherosclerosis; Body Mass Index; Confidence Intervals; Environment Design; Ethnic Groups; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Odds Ratio; Questionnaires; Residence Characteristics; United States; Walking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301773_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301773

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