MSGID: 1:317/3 64927cef   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Walkable neighborhoods help adults socialize, increase community    
      
     Date:   
         June 20, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of California - San Diego   
     Summary:   
         Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely   
         to socialize and have a stronger sense of community, report   
         researchers.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to interact   
   with their neighbors and have a stronger sense of community than people   
   who live in car-dependent communities, report researchers at the Herbert   
   Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University   
   of California San Diego.   
      
   The findings of the study, published online in the journal Health &   
   Place, support one of six foundational pillars suggested by United   
   States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy as part of a national strategy to   
   address a public health crisis caused by loneliness, isolation and lack   
   of connection in this country.   
      
   In May 2023, the Surgeon General Advisory stated that loneliness and   
   isolation can lead to a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32%   
   increased risk of stroke, a 50% increased risk of developing dementia   
   among older adults, and increases risk of premature death by more   
   than 60%.   
      
   To address this public health crisis, the Surgeon General recommends   
   strengthening social infrastructure by designing environments that   
   promote connection.   
      
   "Our built environments create or deny long-lasting opportunities   
   for socialization, physical activity, contact with nature, and other   
   experiences that affect public health," said James F. Sallis, Ph.D.,   
   Distinguished Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health   
   and senior author of the UC San Diego study.   
      
   "Transportation and land use policies across the U.S. have strongly   
   prioritized car travel and suburban development, so millions of   
   Americans live in neighborhoods where they must drive everywhere, usually   
   alone, and have little or no chance to interact with their neighbors."   
   Walkable neighborhoods promote active behaviors like walking for leisure   
   or transportation to school, work, shopping or home.   
      
   The study analyzed data from the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study,   
   which included 1,745 adults ages 20 to 66 living in 32 neighborhoods   
   located in and around Seattle, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.   
      
   Neighborhood walkability may promote social interactions with neighbors   
   -- like waving hello, asking for help or socializing in their homes,   
   said the first author, Jacob R. Carson, M.P.H., a student in the UC San   
   Diego -- San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Public   
   Health. Carson began the research while a Master of Public Health student   
   at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.   
      
   Neighborhoods where people must drive in and out, and where there is an   
   absence of gathering places, may have the opposite effect, preventing   
   neighbors from socializing.   
      
   "Promoting social interaction is an important public health   
   goal. Understanding the role of neighborhood design bolsters our ability   
   to advocate for the health of our communities and the individuals who   
   reside in them," said Carson.   
      
   "Fewer traffic incidents, increases in physical activity, and better   
   neighborhood social health outcomes are just a few of the results of   
   designing walkable neighborhoods that can enrich our lives."  Co-authors   
   include: Terry L. Conway and Kelli L. Cain, UC San Diego; Lilian G.   
      
   Perez, RAND Corporation; Lawrence D. Frank, UC San Diego Department of   
   Urban Studies and Planning and Urban Design 4 Health, Inc.; and Brian   
   E. Saelens, Seattle Children's Research Institute and University of   
   Washington.   
      
   This research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health   
   (HL67350).   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Mind_&_Brain   
                   # Mental_Health # K-12_Education # Child_Psychology   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Earthquakes # Environmental_Policy #   
                   Environmental_Awareness   
             o Science_&_Society   
                   # Public_Health # Educational_Policy # Social_Issues   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Attribution_of_recent_climate_change o   
             Consensus_of_scientists_regarding_global_warming o   
             Social_science o Adult_attention-deficit_disorder o Olfaction   
             o Memory_bias o Delirium o Climate_engineering   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_California_-_San_Diego. Original written by Yadira   
   Galindo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Jacob R. Carson, Terry L. Conway, Lilian G. Perez, Lawrence   
      D. Frank,   
         Brian E. Saelens, Kelli L. Cain, James F. Sallis. Neighborhood   
         walkability, neighborhood social health, and self-selection   
         among U.S.   
      
         adults. Health & Place, 2023; 82: 103036 DOI: 10.1016/   
         j.healthplace.2023.103036   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113745.htm   
      
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