We have another paper published from the Moving Across Places Study (MAPS) of physical activity levels before and after light rail construction and street rehabilitation in a low-income and ethnically mixed neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah. This paper appears in Preventive Medicine: “Physical activity mediates the relationship between perceived crime safety and obesity.”
Our study suggests that residents’ low perceived safety is related to more obesity and higher BMI; lower physical activity among residents explained part of this relationship. Policy implication: it is crucial to address perceived crime safety as part of broader efforts to enhance active living. Not a shocking conclusion, but this is the type of basic social needs that can be neglected as we rush to build bike paths, plant trees and install street furniture.