Findings suggest that neighborhood characteristics are associated with the frequency of walking for physical activity in older people. Whether frequency of walking reduces obesity prevalence is less clear.

No abstract

Abstract-A key challenge for mobile health is to develop new technology that can assist individuals in maintaining a healthy lifestyle by keeping track of their everyday behaviors. Smartphones embedded with a wide variety of sensors are enabling a new generation of personal health applications that can actively monitor, model and promote wellbeing. Automated wellbeing tracking systems available so far have focused on physical fitness and sleep and often require external non-phone based sensors. In this work, we take a step towards a more comprehensive smartphone based system that can track activities that impact physical, social, and mental wellbeing namely, sleep, physical activity, and social interactions and provides intelligent feedback to promote better health. We present the design, implementation and evaluation of BeWell, an automated wellbeing app for the Android smartphones and demonstrate its feasibility in monitoring multi-dimensional wellbeing. By providing a more complete picture of health, BeWell has the potential to empower individuals to improve their overall wellbeing and identify any early signs of decline.

This study demonstrates a significant association between neighborhood walkability and depressive symptoms in older men. Further research on the effects of neighborhood walkability may inform community-level mental health treatment and focus depression screening in less-walkable areas.