Many people are familiar with the general recommendation of taking 7,000 to 10,000 steps per day for optimal heart health. According to new research from Stanford University, living in a walkable city can make meeting that benchmark easier, increasing an individual's daily step count by an average of 1,100 steps.
The Stanford study, published in the journal Nature this August, examined data collected from over 5,000 participants across the United States. While other studies have indicated a correlation between walkable cities and increased activity, none have had such a large sample size.
Ultimately, the study suggests that urban planning for more walkable cities could lead to more active and potentially healthier populations. The research focused on people who relocated between less walkable cities and more walkable cities to determine if changes in their surroundings influenced their activity levels.
"I was surprised and incredibly encouraged by the fact that greater walkability led to significantly greater daily steps across nearly all age and gender groups," co-author Jennifer Hicks, executive director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford, said in a release from the university.
For this study, cities were categorized as walkable based on their Walk Score. The scoring system analyzes a location's distance from amenities. A high walk score indicates that it is convenient to walk to many amenities, whereas a low walk score suggests that there are limited options within a walkable range.
Researchers have discovered numerous benefits to walking, both for human health and for the environment.
Physical activity has long been proven to have beneficial effects for maintaining a healthy weight, reducing the risk of heart disease, and boosting mental health. Walking in green spaces can also have a positive impact on the brain. Scientists have found that taking a walk in nature or a park can reduce anxiety and increase positive emotions.
The activity can have benefits for the environment too. Choosing to walk somewhere instead of starting up a gas-powered car reduces the heat-trapping pollution that comes from burning dirty fuels and that drives rising global temperatures.
Less car exhaust also means cleaner air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, emissions from motor vehicles can contribute pollutants to the air that are known or suspected carcinogens, that can exacerbate respiratory conditions, negatively impact reproduction, and more.
The Stanford research contributes to a growing body of knowledge that urges us to be more conscious as we design our environments and choose our activities.
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Co-author Abby King, a professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford, said in the release, "The physical and social contexts surrounding all of our behaviors play a huge role in affecting what we do on a daily basis."
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