We can walk the line. We can walk like an Egyptian. We can walk on the wild side. We can even walk on sunshine, or so the song says.
And we can walk for leisure or to get from place to place.
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report focused on the latter two, delving into who puts one foot in front of the other and why.
In 2022, nearly 6 in 10 adults in the United States walked for leisure in the past seven days, while a much smaller percentage walked for transportation.
Previous studies have found a marked increase in transportation and leisure walking in recent years, as well as variations in walking among certain demographics. The report uses data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey to describe the percentage of adults who walked for either of those purposes. Key findings include:
- 58.7% of adults walked for leisure in the past seven days, with a higher prevalence among Asian non-Hispanic adults than Black non-Hispanic, other and multiple-race non-Hispanic and Hispanic adults.
- Walking for leisure went up with increasing family income and education level.
- 16.2% of adults walked for transportation; men (17.3%) were more likely than women (15.0%) to walk for transportation.
- Transportation walking was highest among adults with family incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level (24.1%) and lowest among those with family incomes from 200% to 399% of the federal poverty level (12.6%).
“Walking for leisure or transportation both decreased with increasing age. Compared with men, women were more likely to walk for leisure but less likely to walk for transportation. Racial and ethnic variations were also seen for walking behavior. Black adults had a lower likelihood of leisure walking than Asian, white, other and multiple-race, and Hispanic adults, while white and Hispanic adults were less likely to walk for transportation than other and multiple-race, Asian and Black adults,” according to the report.
Respondents in the survey were asked, “Sometimes you may walk for fun, relaxation, exercise or to walk the dog. In the past seven days, did you walk for any of these reasons?” and “The next questions are about walking for transportation. This is walking you might have done to travel to and from work, to do errands, or to go from place to place. In the past seven days, did you walk for transportation?”
Walking for health
Simply walking, either as a leisure activity or to get around, has been shown to offer considerable health benefits. Former CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said walking is “the closest thing we have to a wonder drug.”
Harvard Health Publishing put out a list of five surprising benefits of walking in December 2023:
- Counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes. Harvard researchers looked at 32 obesity-promoting genes in over 12,000 people to determine how much those genes actually contribute to body weight. Among the study participants who walked briskly for about an hour a day, the effects of those genes were cut in half.
- Helps tame a sweet tooth. Two University of Exeter studies found that a 15-minute walk can curb cravings for chocolate and even reduce the amount of chocolate you eat in stressful situations. The latest research confirms that walking can reduce cravings and intake of a variety of sugary snacks.
- Reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers already know that any kind of physical activity blunts the risk of breast cancer. But an American Cancer Society study focused on walking found that women who walked seven or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked three hours or fewer per week.
- Eases joint pain. Several studies show that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place. Walking protects the joints — especially the knees and hips, which are most susceptible to osteoarthritis — by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support them.
- Boosts immune function. Walking can help protect you during cold and flu season. A study of over 1,000 men and women found that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day five or more days a week had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. If they did get sick, it was for a shorter time and they had milder symptoms.