Researchers at Texas A&M Health and Science Center, College of Architecture and other disciplines, have recently been awarded $2.7 million from the National Cancer Institute in order to study how a living in a neighborhood that promotes exercise with its natural or built environmental features can affect the physical activity levels of a resident.
Researchers have chosen the Mueller development in Austin, Texas and will begin their research by tracking the changes in physical activity before and after a resident moves into the neighborhood. This will be measured by accelerometers and GPS units that future residents will wear for seven days prior to moving as well as a number of times after they move in.
The absence of physical activity can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and has recently been linked to types of cancer. This grant will allow researchers to fund a five-year study into the connection between activity-friendly communities and healthier residents.
To read more on the study, please click here.