Walkable communities are healthier for both mother, baby: Study

Premature births, low birth weight, gestational diabetes, and hypertension are less common among pregnant moms who live in walkable areas.

Washington [US]: According to a study, pregnant women who live in walkable communities with more sidewalks, parks, and walking paths, do more physical activity and are also more likely to have healthy pregnancies.

Premature births, low birth weight, gestational diabetes, and hypertension are less common among pregnant moms who live in walkable areas, according to a study that was published in the journal Economics and Human Biology.

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The authors reasoned that living in a more walkable environment could have health benefits for pregnant women because walking is frequently advised as a safer, more moderate activity for pregnant women.

“Gestational diabetes is a growing issue and low birth weight and preterm babies are always a concern, they can just have so many more complications,” said Karen Conway, professor of economics at UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. “At the end of the day, the data shows walkable communities mean mom and the baby are both in better health.”

Conway and her co-author Andrea Menclova, associate professor of economics at the University of Canterbury, combined walkability measures created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with detailed data on physical activity from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systm (BRFSS) and pregnancy outcomes from the National Vital Statistics Natality Detail Files (NDF).

They found that a 10-point increase in the walkability index equivalent to transitioning from the “least walkable” to the “most walkable” category”is associated with a more than 70-minute increase in weekly exercise among pregnant women.

The study did not find a clear connection between walking and its impact on a mother’s weight gain or high birth weight for the baby, known as macrosomia. “We know that walkability may have other health benefits beyond encouraging more exercise,” said Conway. “Living in an area more suitable for walking gets people outside and interacting with neighbors and relating to others in the community and all of those types of social and intrinsic activities can contribute to better overall health.”