Premium
The Relationship between Neighborhood Walkability and Adiposity in the WHI Cohort
Author(s) -
Sriram Urshila,
LaCroix Andrea,
Barrington Wendy,
CorbieSmith Giselle,
Garcia Lorena,
Going Scott,
LaMonte Michael,
Manson JoAnn,
SealyJefferson Shawnita,
Stefanick Marcia,
Waring Molly,
Seguin Rebecca
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1151.8
Subject(s) - waist , walkability , body mass index , medicine , circumference , demography , odds , logistic regression , abdominal obesity , obesity , cross sectional study , population , gerontology , physical therapy , environmental health , physical activity , geometry , mathematics , pathology , sociology
The aim of the present study was to explore associations of Walk Score, a validated measure of neighborhood walkability, with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in a large, diverse sample of older women. We linked cross‐sectional data on 6,164 older postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Long Life Study to Walk Scores for each participant's address in 2012. Linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of BMI and waist circumference with continuous and categorical Walk Score measures. Secondary analyses examined whether these relationships could be explained by walking expenditure or total physical activity. Higher Walk Score was associated with lower waist circumference but not BMI, after adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Participants in highly walkable areas had lower odds of abdominal obesity as compared to those in less walkable locations. Observed associations between walkability and waist circumference were partly explained by walking expenditure. Findings suggest that neighborhood walkability is linked to waist circumference but not BMI among older women and provide support for future longitudinal research on associations between Walk Score and adiposity in this population. Support or Funding Information Funded by NIH, NHLBI, HHS grants/contracts HL60712, K01HL10880705, HHSN268201100‐046C/‐001C/‐002C/‐003C/‐004C