Neighborhood walkability is favorably related to multiple physical health outcomes, but associations with social health are less clear. Present analyses examined how neighborhood walkability was related to neighborhood social health and explored the potential confounding role of neighborhood self-selection.

Cross-sectional data were analyzed for 1745 adults, ages 20-66, recruited from two US regions. We created a walkability index around each participant's home (1 km street network buffer) based on residential density, street intersection density, mixed land use, and retail floor area ratio.

Neighborhood walkability may promote specific aspects of neighborhood social health, which together are beneficial for physical and mental health. These findings provide additional impetus for enhancing walkability of US communities.

Read the full article about neighborhood walkability by Jacob R. Carson, Terry L. Conway, Lilian Perez, Lawrence D. Frank, Brian E. Saelens, Kelli L. Cain, and James F. Sallis at RAND Corporation.