News Release

Public walking trails may increase community fitness levels

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Center for Advancing Health

When communities build walking trails, new evidence suggests that people may exercise more.

"Public walking campaigns may be especially useful, though currently underused, tools for health promotion because of their acceptability and accessibility," said lead author Ross C. Brownson, PhD, of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health. "Walking trails may be beneficial in promoting physical activity among segments of the population at greatest risk for inactivity, in particular women and people in lower socioeconomic groups."

The researchers surveyed 1,269 adults 18 years and older from 12 counties in southeastern Missouri. Working with local leaders, community coalitions are building walking trails in these rural communitiesÐwhich offer few sidewalks, shopping malls, or other places to walkÐas part of a program to reduce risk factors for heart disease.

Overall, 44.9 percent of the adults had walked for exercise in the previous month, and 19.5 percent walked regularlyÐdefined as five or more times a week for 30 minutes or more. More than one third (36.5 percent) of the group said they had access to a walking trail and 38.8 percent of those with access to a trail had used one. Women were more likely to use the trails than men, and people with higher levels of education and income were more likely to use them than were those with lower levels. The researchers report their results in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Walking trails appear to make it easier for people to increase their exercise levels, the researchers say. About half (55.2 percent) of those who used the trails said they had increased their walking since beginning to use the trails. This was particularly true for women and for those with lower incomes and education levels. Sedentary people also appear to benefit from use of walking trails; those who were not regular walkers were more likely to increase their activity compared with regular walkers.

The researchers say the trails were developed at relatively low cost, about $2,000 to $4,000 per trail. Local public and private agencies frequently are willing to donate time and resources toward construction and maintenance, the researchers add.

"Much more work is needed on ways to actively promote trail use and in determining whether there are longer-term effects on walking behavior among groups at highest risk of sedentary lifestyles," said Brownson.

The project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a collaborative effort with the Missouri Department of Health.

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The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine and the American College of Preventive Medicine, is published eight times a year by Elsevier Science. The Journal is a forum for the communication of information, knowledge, and wisdom in prevention science, education, practice, and policy. For more information about the journal, contact the editorial office at (619) 594-7344.

Posted by the Center for the Advancement of Health http://www.cfah.org. For information about the Center, call Petrina Chong, pchong@cfah.org (202) 387-2829.


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