Land Use, Residential Density, and Walking: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Background
The neighborhood environment may play a role in encouraging sedentary patterns, especially for middle-aged and older adults.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine the associations between walking and neighborhood population density, retail availability, and land-use distribution using data from a cohort of adults aged 45 to 84 years.
Methods
Data from a multi-ethnic sample of 5529 adult residents of Baltimore MD, Chicago IL, Forsyth County NC, Los Angeles CA, New York NY, and St. Paul MN enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis in 2000–2002 were linked to secondary land-use and population data. Participant reports of access to destinations and stores and objective measures of the percentage of land area in parcels devoted to retail land uses, the population divided by land area in parcels, and the mixture of uses for areas within 200 m of each participant's residence were examined. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate associations of self-reported and objective neighborhood characteristics with walking. All analyses were conducted in 2008 and 2009.
Results
After adjustment for individual-level characteristics and neighborhood connectivity, it was found that higher density, greater land area devoted to retail uses, and self-reported proximity of destinations and ease of walking to places were each related to walking. In models including all land-use measures, population density was positively associated with walking to places and with walking for exercise for more than 90 minutes/week, both relative to no walking. Availability of retail was associated with walking to places relative to not walking, and having a more proportional mix of land uses was associated with walking for exercise for more than 90 minutes/week, while self-reported ease of access to places was related to higher levels of exercise walking, both relative to not walking.
Conclusions
Residential density and the presence of retail uses are related to various walking behaviors. Efforts to increase walking may benefit from attention to the intensity and type of land development.
aDepartment of City and Regional Planning, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
bDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
cDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
dSchool of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Daniel A. Rodríguez, PhD, Department of City and Regional Planning, CB 3140 New East, 319, Chapel Hill NC 27599-3140
ABSTRACT