“Walkability” linked to reduced hospital costs and admissions
Neighborhoods designed to encourage people to walk to and from the shops and public transport will help reduce hospital costs and admissions linked to residents, new Canberra research shows.
The research project, from the University of Canberra’s Health Research Institute, has revealed a relationship between a suburb’s “walkability score” and a reduction in both hospital costs and admissions and added to the growing debate surrounding the role of “social determinants” in health outcomes.
Coauthors Dr. Yan Yu and Vincent Learnihan studied ACT Health data from 30,690 hospital admissions across 88 of the ACT’s suburbs, and then matched them against each suburb’s “walkability score”. That score is a measure of how easy it is to get around a particular suburb, including the number of interconnected streets, footpaths and the presence of shops, public transport stops, restaurants and services within walking distance of each other.
Dr. Yu said the study showed that those suburbs rated as “walkable”—with a walkability score of 20 units or more—were linked to a 12.1 per cent lower hospital cost for those residents and a 12.5 per cent lower rate of hospital admissions.
She said the admissions data they focused on included cancers, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and diabetes.
But the research also showed that in Canberra, some 80 per cent of all the city’s suburbs were still “car-dependent”, which Mr. Learnihan said showed more needed to be done to help encourage Canberrans to walk, ride and use public transport.
While Mr. Learnihan commended the ACT government’s existing “active travel” programs, he said the study showed that wider and better funded initiatives to improve the “walkability” of new and existing suburbs could help save on health costs and improve Canberrans’ quality of life.
Dr. Yu said such changes could be as simple as improving footpaths and bike paths, increasing public transport access and improving local shops.
43. The suburb’s “walkability score” depends on the following factors within the walking distance of each other EXCEPT ______.
A.the presence of shops | B.the presence of taxi stands |
C.the number of interconnected streets | D.the number of interconnected footpaths |
44. The underlined word “
commended” in Paragraph 7 probably means ______.
A.praised | B.abandoned |
C.transformed | D.conducted |
45. We can learn from the passage that ______.
A.the suburb with a walkability score of 12.5 units can be rated as “walkable” |
B.a majority of Canberrans walk, ride and use public transport to and from work |
C.admissions data researchers focused on included different kinds of disease |
D.footpaths and bike paths in the suburbs of Canberra are far from satisfactory |
46. What will probably happen in the future?
A.There will be fewer cars in Canberra. |
B.Canberrans will have easier access to public hospitals. |
C.The word “walkability” will be included in the authoritative dictionary. |
D.“Walkability” of new and existing suburbs in Canberra will be improved. |