Walkable Communities Hike Health for Mom and Baby

Pregnant women residing in walkable communities, which include abundant sidewalks, parks, and walking paths, are more likely to participate in regular walking and exercise. They experience fewer instances of pregnancy-related complications including premature births, low birth weight, gestational diabetes, and hypertension. The findings of the study are published in Economics and Human Biology (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Researchers Find Walkable Communities Are Healthier for Both Mom and Baby

Go to source). Walking is often recommended as a safer, more moderate activity for pregnant women, so the authors reasoned that living in a more walkable area could have health benefits for them.

Easing Pregnancy Health with Walking

“Gestational diabetes is a growing issue and low birth weight and preterm babies are always a concern, they can just have so many more complications,” said Karen Conway, professor of economics at UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. “At the end of the day, the data shows walkable communities mean mom and the baby are both in better health.”

Researchers found that a 10-point increase in the walkability index—equivalent to transitioning from the "least walkable" to the "most walkable" category—is associated with a more than 70-minute increase in weekly exercise among pregnant women. This same change results in an 0.8 percentage point increase in the likelihood of a full-term birth, a 0.07-week extension in gestational age, a 27g increase in birth weight, and a 27% reduction in the likelihood of gestational diabetes and 16% reduction in hypertension.

Benefits of Walking in Pregnancy

“We know that walkability may have other health benefits beyond encouraging more exercise,” said Conway. “Living in an area more suitable for walking gets people outside and interacting with neighbours and relating to others in the community and all of those types of social and intrinsic activities can contribute to better overall health.”

The professors applied the conceptual and empirical tools of economics to see if there was a causal relationship between walkability and pregnancy outcomes. They note that their study is part of a larger area of health economics that uses established data to analyze factors and policies that affect health outcomes, including those during and after pregnancy. The goal is to provide evidence that can help shape policies and inform city and town managers about cost-effective interventions that may help improve the health outcomes of residents.

Reference:

1. Researchers Find Walkable Communities Are Healthier for Both Mom and Baby - (https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/news/release/2023/08/17/researchers-find-walkable-communities-are-healthier-both-mom-and-baby)

Source-Eurekalert