Study finds walkable communities lowered mental health stressors during COVID-19 pandemic

Research out of the University of New Hampshire shows that communities that were easier for people to lace up and get out for a walk during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped lower the impact of mental health issues, like stress and anxiety.

“The unknown of the pandemic was difficult but to be able to get outside and simply go for a walk was a salvation for many people,” said Karen Conway, professor of economics at UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. “In my own family, all my adult children moved home during the pandemic and we must have gone on walks three or four times a day. It was a chance to see other people, we could wave across the street and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ It was definitely a mental thing more than a physical thing.”

In a study recently published in Health Economics, Conway and her co-author Andrea K. Menclova of the University of Canterbury took a closer look at the impact of walking on mental health during the pandemic by analyzing national census and survey data around walkability.

They used the Environmental Protection Agency’s 0–20 Walkability Index to measure different communities and found that increasing a neighborhood’s walkability just a little bit—about four points on the index—was associated with a 4% reduction in average pandemic-related mental health deterioration.

For context, neighborhoods that are considered in the low range of walkability have index scores under 6, while the most walkable communities have scores above 15.

The researchers also compared mental health trends before the pandemic (2018–2019) and during it (2020–2021) across more than 55,000 Census tracts nationwide, matching CDC survey data with the EPA Walkability Index. By focusing on differences within the same county, they could isolate the influence of local walkability.

“COVID hit people differently across the country, based on restrictions, deaths, local policies,” said Conway. “We were able to look within a county, where cultural, environmental and other characteristics are pretty similar. But walkability is a very local characteristic that can vary within a county. By making those within-county comparisons, we could see how areas hit by COVID in the same way still experienced different mental health impacts depending on walkability in their neighborhood.”

This positive protective effect of walkability is thought to stem from multiple benefits, including physical activity, more time spent outdoors and improved social ties within neighborhoods. Complementary analysis confirmed that despite a decline in walking for commuting and transportation, walking for leisure increased during the pandemic, largely occurring near people’s homes and strongly associated with walkability measures.

While the study focused on the pandemic as the specific stressor, researchers say it points to broader implications for the potential role of walkable communities in lowering the impact of mental health issues and individual-level stressors like grief, divorce, job loss or everyday anxiety.

The research also highlights the importance of incorporating walkability into urban planning and infrastructure—like adding sidewalks and traffic calming measures—and public health strategies to improve overall community well-being and health outcomes.

Research out of the University of New Hampshire shows that communities that were easier for people to lace up and get out for a walk during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped lower the impact of mental health issues, like stress and anxiety.

“The unknown of the pandemic was difficult but to be able to get outside and simply go for a walk was a salvation for many people,” said Karen Conway, professor of economics at UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. “In my own family, all my adult children moved home during the pandemic and we must have gone on walks three or four times a day. It was a chance to see other people, we could wave across the street and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ It was definitely a mental thing more than a physical thing.”

In a study recently published in Health Economics, Conway and her co-author Andrea K. Menclova of the University of Canterbury took a closer look at the impact of walking on mental health during the pandemic by analyzing national census and survey data around walkability.

They used the Environmental Protection Agency’s 0–20 Walkability Index to measure different communities and found that increasing a neighborhood’s walkability just a little bit—about four points on the index—was associated with a 4% reduction in average pandemic-related mental health deterioration.

For context, neighborhoods that are considered in the low range of walkability have index scores under 6, while the most walkable communities have scores above 15.

The researchers also compared mental health trends before the pandemic (2018–2019) and during it (2020–2021) across more than 55,000 Census tracts nationwide, matching CDC survey data with the EPA Walkability Index. By focusing on differences within the same county, they could isolate the influence of local walkability.

“COVID hit people differently across the country, based on restrictions, deaths, local policies,” said Conway. “We were able to look within a county, where cultural, environmental and other characteristics are pretty similar. But walkability is a very local characteristic that can vary within a county. By making those within-county comparisons, we could see how areas hit by COVID in the same way still experienced different mental health impacts depending on walkability in their neighborhood.”

This positive protective effect of walkability is thought to stem from multiple benefits, including physical activity, more time spent outdoors and improved social ties within neighborhoods. Complementary analysis confirmed that despite a decline in walking for commuting and transportation, walking for leisure increased during the pandemic, largely occurring near people’s homes and strongly associated with walkability measures.

While the study focused on the pandemic as the specific stressor, researchers say it points to broader implications for the potential role of walkable communities in lowering the impact of mental health issues and individual-level stressors like grief, divorce, job loss or everyday anxiety.

The research also highlights the importance of incorporating walkability into urban planning and infrastructure—like adding sidewalks and traffic calming measures—and public health strategies to improve overall community well-being and health outcomes.