Abstract
Introduction: Physical activity is an important intervention strategy against the increasing cases of overweight and obesity in the USA and many other parts of the world. Walking has been identified as a component of physical activity that can easily be incorporated into one’s lifestyle. Recent studies on physical activity have focused on promoting walking as a health enhancing endeavor. Purpose: This study examined the walkability of the environments in 57 cities drawn from 22different counties in upper east Texas within the USA. Methods and materials: The data for all the 57 key cities in upper east Texas were collected from the Walkscore.com. Results: It was established that 13 (22.8%) of the cities had walkable scores below 24%; 26 (45.6%) had between 25 and 49; 13 (22.8%) between 51 and 69; 4 (7%) had between 70 and 89, and onlyone city had a score of 91. Discussion: The vast majority of cities (39, 68.42%) had walkable scores that show a high dependability on vehicle transport; with only 5 (8.8%) cities being rated as very walkable or a walker’s paradise. This reflects a high dependence on vehicles in the upper east Texas region and therefore minimal walking. Recommendations: There is need to actively pursue an agenda that promotes infrastructural investments that can bring about ease of walking and accessibility of community services at close range. Stakeholders need to collectively come together to generate interventions that can enhance the well-being of the residents in of upper east Texas.
Description
This article was originally published in the International Journal of Human Sciences, under a Creative Commons 4.0 license.
Publisher
International Journal of Human Sciences
Date of publication
1-1-2016
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/479
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Simiyu, Wycliffe W. Njororai; Njororai, Fletcher J.; and Jivetti, Billystrom Aronya, "Walkability in upper east Texas cities and implications for physical activity and health" (2016). Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations. Paper 3.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/479
Publisher Citation
Njororai Simiyu, W. W., Njororai, F. J., & Jivetti, B. A. (2016). Walkability in upper east Texas cities and implications for physical activity and health. International Journal of Human Sciences, 13(1), 487–499.http://dx.doi.org/10.14687/ijhs.v13i1.3438