In collaboration with colleagues at the NYU Women’s Health Study we recently published analyses showing that higher neighborhood walkability is associated with lower risk of obesity related cancers.  Fourteen thousand women were recruited into the study between 1985 and 1991 and followed-up for cancer incidence through 2017.  The participant’s residential histories were compiled throughout this period and the walkability of their Census Tract of residence was measured.  Analyses of the data showed that higher average annual neighborhood walkability during follow-up was associated with lower risk of obesity related cancers. Women with average annual neighborhood walkability score in the top quartile of walkability had a 26% lower risk of obesity-related cancer and a 27% lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, compared with women with average annual neighborhood walkability score in the bottom quartile.

One of the long-term goals of the BEH project has been to show how urban design impacts cancer outcomes.  Obesity increases the risk of 13 types of cancer in women, and physical activity lowers the risk for some of these cancers, independent of body size.  Over the years we have shown that higher neighborhood walkability is associated with higher levels of pedestrian activity and overall physical activity and lower body mass index (BMI), lower weight gain and lower obesity risk.  Now, with our collaborators, we have shown in the NYU Women’s Health Study that higher neighborhood walkability is associated with higher levels of walking and lower BMI when the women entered the study and lower obesity related cancer risk over 30 years.