Study: Locations motivate older walkers

After a 3 year study at the University of Washington, the results are finally in!

The benefits of walking and being active are well-known, especially for older people, but what kind of neighborhood gets seniors going? ... What matters, researchers found, are the destinations like restaurants, grocery stores and even bars that are within a half-mile of your home.

Yes, it seems that seniors will walk if there's someplace to walk to! WOW!! Thanks Professor Anne Vernez Moudon, professor of urban design and planning at the University of Washington. Click her name to send her her well-deserved congratulations. (though I wonder what she'll value more, the conclusion of her study or her mention here at News that Vexes?)

The study was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Pick it up at newsstands now.

Next up: what about people younger than 65? Will they walk to nowhere? Check back in 3 more years!