Places to Walk: Convenience and Regular Physical Activity

Abstract

Regular physical activity fosters good physical and mental health.1 Described as “today’s best buy in public health,”2 one needs to accumulate only 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week, of moderately intense physical activity, such as brisk walking.3 For almost everyone, walking is a familiar activity performed in the conduct of normal daily activities. Nevertheless, only 25% to 30% of Americans report doing activities that meet current recommendations for physical activity, and 30% to 40% report no participation in physical activities away from their work.4,5 These data have not changed over at least the past decade.5 The availability6–8 and awareness9 of places conducive to physical activity are associated with higher levels of physical activity. To guide our efforts to promote regular physical activity, we used the Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to determine (1) whether adult Georgians were aware of safe and convenient places for walking, (2) what places they most commonly envisioned, and (3) whether the proximity of those places was associated with self-reported physical activity behaviors.