Promote Walking to Encourage Healthy Habits

In that many neighborhoods have barriers restraining residents’ ability and accessibility to walk, James Krieger, from Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Section of Public Health—Seattle and King County (Washington, USA), developed a program of multiple interventions to promote walking activity. The team implemented sponsored walking groups, improved walking routes, engaged an informational campaign about walking options, and advocated for pedestrian safety. As a result, among residents of a multicultural housing site in Seattle, self-reported walking activity increased among walking group participants from 65 to 109 minutes per day, and the proportion that reported being at least moderately active for at least 150 minutes per week increased from 62% to 81%.  Conclude the researchers: “A multicomponent intervention … that emphasized walking groups and included additional strategies to change the built and social environments increased walking activity.”