Neighborhood walkability associated with gestational diabetes risk

A new study by scientists from the Health and Built Environment Research Group at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University shows that a higher likelihood of walking in a neighborhood is associated with an increased risk of injury. have a lower incidence of gestational diabetes (GD). Research results are published in peer-reviewed journals Child and perinatal epidemiology.

GD increases the risk of having a large baby for gestational age, which may increase the risk of unhealthy weight gain in childhood and increase a pregnant woman’s risk of future type 2 diabetes.

The researchers, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, analyzed the relationship between neighborhood walkability for pregnant New Yorkers. The Neighborhood Walkability Index, which they use to measure walkability, includes data on population density, land use mix, street connectivity, and transit accessibility. add. They analyzed city data from more than 109,000 births in 2015.

They found that the risk of GD decreased as the Neighborhood Walkability Index score increased by up to 20 percent between areas in the highest and lowest walkability quintile. Likewise, when the researchers assessed the density of walkable destinations, another measure of neighborhood walkability, pregnant people in the walkable destination quarter The highest had a 23% lower risk of GD than those living in the lowest quintile. The analyzes were adjusted for age, race and ethnicity, number of births, education level, place of birth and marital statusalong with the poverty rate of the neighborhood.

An earlier study by the team found that walkability of the linked neighborhood with a lower risk of excessive weight gain during pregnancy; Nearly 50 percent of pregnant women gain more weight than is recommended for a healthy pregnancy. The researchers hypothesized that neighborhood walkability was associated with higher levels of walking and physical activity among pregnant women, which in turn reduced the risk of GD and excessive weight gain during pregnancy. pregnant. Pregnant people are known to favor lower-intensity forms of exercise such as walking during pregnancy, and in New York City, neighborhood walkability was positively associated with more walking and total physical activity.

“Research highlights the importance of urban planning, especially neighborhoods ability to walkStudy co-first author Andrew Rundle, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman, said: “Create opportunities for pregnant people to meet health recommendations physical activity pregnancy is expected to have long-term positive benefits for both the parent and the child.”

Going forward, Rundle says “We plan to continue working on how urban design can support health during pregnancy so that these benefits are included in cost-benefit analysis and decision-making about how we design new neighborhoods and redesign existing ones .”

Co-authors include James Quinn from the Columbia Mailman School and Kathryn Neckerman at Columbia University’s Center for Population Research; Eliza Kinsey, University of Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Widen, University of Texas, Austin; Mary Huynh, Lehman University; Gina Lovasi, Drexel University; Gretchen Van Wye, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.