Abstract
Introduction: Physical activity has become an important intervention against overweight and obesity cases in the USA and worldwide. One key aspect of physical activity is walking, which has been identified as a component that can easily be incorporated into one’s lifestyle. Recent studies on physical activity have focused on promoting walking as a health enhancing endeavor. In 2010, the proportion of Texas adults who reported no participation in leisure time activity (26.7%) was significantly higher than the national average (24.4%). However, many Texans, like most Americans, are sedentary. Purpose: This study examined the walkability of the environments in selected counties in east Texas including Wood, Van Zandt and Smith counties. Methods and material: The data was drawn from the Walkscore.com and was based on all the zip codes in the three counties in east Texas. The community capitals were used a framework for analysis. Results: Only three (8.82%) zip codes had walkable scores between 70 and 89; five (14.71%) had scores between 50 and 69; four (11.76%) between 25 and 49 and 22 (64.71%) had a score below 24. Discussion: The vast majority (26, 76.47%) of zip codes are highly dependent on vehicle transport. Conclusions and recommendations: Stakeholders need therefore to focus on causes for the minimal walkability so that practical interventions are generated to enhance the physical activity friendly infrastructure so as to enhance the well-being of the residents in these three east Texas counties.
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
4-1-2015
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/481
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Simiyu, Wycliffe W. Njororai; Njororai, Fletcher J.; and Jivetti, Billystrom Aronya, "Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications" (2015). Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations. Paper 5.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/481
Publisher Citation
Njororai Simiyu, W. W., Njororai, F. J., & Jivetti, B. A. (2015). Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications. International Journal of Human Sciences, 12(2), 674–687.