Whether your neighbourhood is conducive to walking could determine
your risk for developing diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at
St. Michael’s Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.
Researchers found this risk was particularly high for new
immigrants living in low-income neighbourhoods. A new immigrant living in a
less walkable neighbourhood – fewer destinations within a 10-minute walk, lower
residential density, poorly connected streets – was about 50 per cent more
likely to develop diabetes when compared to long-term residents living in the
most walkable areas, regardless of neighbourhood income.