Dynamite News Living in walkable neighbourhood lowers risk of excessive weight gain during pregnancy
A team of researchers have found that pregnant people who live in walkable neighbourhoods have lower odds of excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) than those who live elsewhere in the city.
New York [US]: A team of researchers have found that pregnant people who live in walkable neighbourhoods have lower odds of excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) than those who live elsewhere in the city.
The study has been published in the 'Obesity Journal'.
Excessive or inadequate weight gain during pregnancy poses numerous health risks for both pregnant individuals and children.
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Excessive GWG is associated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications, including pregnancy-related hypertension and greater long-term postpartum weight retention. Excessive GWG is also associated with the risk for childhood asthma and obesity. Earlier research by Columbia Mailman researchers found that GWG was linked with a three-fold increased risk of childhood obesity at age 7 and excessive maternal weight gain.
Neighbourhood walkability refers to urban form characteristics that support and favour walking and is defined by criteria including population density, land-use mix, the density of public transit infrastructure, and street connectivity. Residents of walkable neighbourhoods have been shown to engage in more walking, greater overall physical activity, and have lower body mass index (BMI).
Walkable neighbourhoods are associated with better control of blood sugar among people with Type II diabetes. The most walkable areas of New York City include Battery Park City, Greenwich Village, NoHo, SoHo, Little Italy, and the West Village (Manhattan CBs 1 and 2). The least walkable areas include neighbourhoods in eastern Queens and parts of Staten Island (Queens CB13 and Staten Island CB2).
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Senior author Andrew Rundle, DrPH, professor of epidemiology, noted, "Neighborhood walkability is likely associated with GWG due to differences in behaviour during pregnancy, presumably walking for exercise and daily activities -- not solely by influences on pre-pregnancy BMI. A significant amount of the exercise pregnant people get comes from low-impact activities like walking. Making neighbourhoods more walkable has a host of health benefits, both for those currently living there and future generations."
Co-authors of the current study included Elizabeth Widen, the University of Texas at Austin; James Quinn, Columbia Mailman; Mary Huynh and Gretchen Van Wye, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Gina Lovasi, Drexel University, Philadelphia; and Kathryn Neckerman, Columbia University Population Research Center. (ANI)