Suburbanites drive more, and downtowners walk more — that’s no surprise. But the health effects of walking less on a day-to-day basis could be huge. According to a new study, rates of obesity and diabetes are a whopping 33 per cent higher in Toronto neighbourhoods that are less pedestrian-friendly. We caught up with Dr. Gillian Booth, a co-author of the study, to find out more about the relationship between walkable neighbourhoods and overall health.
How significant are these findings? Were you surprised by the results?
They’re pretty significant. It’s pretty impactful seeing a one-third higher rate of obesity and diabetes. That’s quite large on a population scale.
So what type of neighbourhood would be ideal for an individual’s overall health?
Our study suggests that living in a walkable neighbourhood is associated with the greatest health and lower rates of obesity and diabetes. Walkability is defined by a number of factors: how densely populated the area is, how connected the streets are, whether there are retail outlets and services within a 10-minute walk. The areas that are the most walkable tend to be those that were developed prior to the Second World War — the older areas that have a gridlike street pattern. The more suburban design, the communities built after 1970, tend to be more sprawling and more sparsely populated. These areas have fewer destinations and fewer opportunities for people to walk.
So living in the downtown core would be healthier than living in the suburbs, essentially.
Absolutely.
How important is walking? Isn’t it more of a bare minimum in terms of physical activity?
Walking is extremely important. There have been more and more studies coming out showing that people who walk more have longer life expectancies, lower rates of heart disease and so on. It’s a form of physical activity that is just very accessible. There’s more data coming out too that it’s sitting and being sedentary that is risky. There’s a lot of interest in more vigorous activity, but it looks like, in terms of obesity and diabetes, low-impact and moderate activities are actually quite important.
So if I’m driving everywhere, am I in serious trouble? Is there anything I can do to make it less taxing on my body?
I can’t answer that from a research perspective, and certainly you’d have to be careful about being distracted while driving. I think people have to be more conscious of the opportunities they have every day outside of driving. Some people may not have a choice in terms of driving, so with the choices we make — taking stairs instead of elevators or walking around the office rather than sitting the entire time — there are a lot of things we can do to be more active. There are a lot of opportunities that we sometimes subconsciously ignore.
Does taking public transit have a noticeable health benefit over driving?
I’m not aware of studies that have looked at public transit and health outcomes, but there is some suggestion that those who take public transit are more likely to meet their physical activity needs. A 10 or 15 minute walk to the subway on one end and then on the other end can really add up.
What can people living in one of Toronto’s less walkable neighbourhoods do to balance out their health situation?
If a neighbourhood doesn’t support walking, then we do have to find other routes. We’ve essentially engineered physical activity out of our lives, and we make certain choices to be sedentary every day. I think we’re going to see changes in the way neighbourhoods are designed. Peel Region is very much a leader in the area. Their public health unit has been working with their city planning department to come up with new development standards.
So if I’m not living in a very walkable neighbourhood, but I make it a point to get out and walk for 30 minutes a day. Is that a good goal to have?
That’s a good goal — and to try and work that into your daily routine. Technically, brisker walking is better, but I think if people are moving from being sedentary to being more active, any amount of activity is good.
