Publication

Association between area-level walkability and glycated haemoglobin

View document

Bibliographic Details
Summary:Diabetes poses a substantial disease burden, prompting preventive interventions. Physical inactivity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, can potentially be mitigated by enhancing area-level walkability. Despite this, limited population-based studies have investigated the link between walkability and objective diabetes measures. Our study aims to estimate the association between area-level walkability and individual glycated haemoglobin levels in the Portuguese adult population without the diagnosis of diabetes. Data from the 2011 census and an updated street map were obtained to construct a walkability index based on residential density, land-use mix, and street connectivity. Individual health data were sourced from The National Health Examination Survey (INSEF) 2015, a representative survey of the Portuguese adult population. Gamma regression was employed for estimation of the main associations, revealing that residing in moderately walkable areas significantly reduced average glycated haemoglobin levels (Exp(β) = 0.906; 95% CI: 0.821, 0.999) compared to the least walkable areas. The association was less pronounced and not statistically significant for the third tertile of walkability (Exp(β) = 0.919; 95% CI: 0.822, 1.028). Our findings highlight a nonlinear protective association between walkability and glycated haemoglobin, emphasizing the potential policy implications for urban planning, diabetes prevention, and health promotion.
Main Authors:Sá, Regina
Other Authors:Roquette, Rita; Rebecchi, Andrea; Matias, Judite; Rocha, Jorge; Buffoli, Maddalena; Capolongo, Stefano; Ribeiro, Ana Isabel; Nunes, Baltazar; Dias, Carlos; Sousa Uva, Mafalda
Subject:Built environment Diabetes Glycated haemoglobin Urban planning Walkability Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being SDG 15 - Life on Land
Year:2024
Country:Portugal
Document type:article
Access type:open access
Associated institution:Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Language:English
Origin:Repositório Institucional da UNL

Similar Items

Similar Items