Association between neighborhood living environment and step counts of middle-aged and older adults: Focusing on street systems from the perspective of traffic safety

Abstract

We analyzed the association between step counts and traffic safety indicators by multiple regression analysis. Results show that residents, especially older adults, in areas with many pedestrian streets, a high proportion of multilevel intersections, and a high proportion of three-way intersections tend to walk more. In addition, these traffic safety indicators are found to be significantly more common in planned residential areas, especially in large-scale developments and developments by public developers. In conclusion, this study evaluates the pedestrian-friendly designs in existing planned residential areas and suggests the need to actively preserve and utilize these designs in future residential development.