Study Finds Trails Boost Exercise

October 21, 2000
reprinted from Greenways & Rail-Trail Connection published by New York Parks and Conservation Association

A new study, undertaken by the St. Louis University School of Public Health in Missouri, found that trails may entice people to exercise more frequently. Researchers interviewed 1,300 people from 12 rural counties in southeastern Missouri. Overall, study participants had lower income, less access to medical care, and lower education levels than did the general U.S. population. New trails had been recently built in that region of the state as part of an effort to improve health. At the time of the study, 21 trails existed.

One-third of the group interviewed had access to trails. Of that group, 39 percent used the trails. Researchers found that more than half of those who used the trails reported walking more since they began using the trails. Even better news, people with the lowest income and educations levels, the groups usually the most difficult to reach, were more likely than others to increase their walking time since using the trails.

The study, titled "Promoting Physical Activity in Rural Communities: Walking Trail Access, Use and Effects, " was funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaoration with the Missouri Department of Health