Change in Walking and Body Mass Index Following Residential Relocation: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

We investigated whether moving to neighborhoods with closer proximity of destinations and greater street connectivity was associated with more walking, a greater probability of meeting the “Every Body Walk!” campaign goals (≥ 150 minutes/week of walking), and reductions in body mass index (BMI). We linked longitudinal data from 701 participants, who moved between 2 waves of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2004–2012), to a neighborhood walkability measure (Street Smart Walk Score) for each residential location. We used fixed-effects models to estimate if changes in walkability resulting from relocation were associated with simultaneous changes in walking behaviors and BMI. Moving to a location with a 10-point higher Walk Score was associated with a 16.04 minutes per week (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.13, 29.96) increase in transport walking, 11% higher odds of meeting Every Body Walk! goals through transport walking (adjusted odds ratio = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.21), and a 0.06 kilogram per meters squared (95% CI = −0.12, −0.01) reduction in BMI. Change in walkability was not associated with change in leisure walking. Our findings illustrated the potential for neighborhood infrastructure to support health-enhancing behaviors and overall health of people in the United States.