Adherence
Living in less walkable neighborhoods is associated with lower systolic blood pressure, higher HDL cholesterol, and lower likelihood of diabetes, but also lower likelihood of smoking.
While walkable areas might have higher smoking rates, the overall cardiovascular risk is still lower due to the benefits of daily physical activity. If you live in a walkable area, be aware of tobacco availability and consider cessation support. If you live in a less walkable area, prioritize active transport options to offset the higher CVD risk.
Dose–response associations were observed for systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus risk, while an inverse association was observed with smoking status.
Why this rating
Large sample size, adjusted for confounders, but cross-sectional.
Source
Association Between Neighborhood Walkability and Predicted 10‐Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk: The CANHEART (Cardiovascular Health in Ambulatory Care Research Team) Cohort
Nicholas A. Howell et al. · Journal of the American Heart Association · 2019
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →