CAN WALKABLE NHOODS STAVE OFF MALE DEPRESSION?
-> According to a May 3rd MSNBC story, “Living in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood may help shield older men from depression, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 740 older adults living in the Seattle area, men who lived in more walkable neighborhoods tended to show fewer depression symptoms than men from less walker-friendly areas. “The findings, published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, are in line with research suggesting that moderate exercise can help battle depression. However, the link between neighborhood ‘walkability’ and lower depression risk was not fully explained by higher exercise levels. ‘That tells us that there’s something else about the neighborhood itself,’ said lead study author Dr. Ethan M. Berke, of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. “One possibility is that these neighborhoods allow older adults to feel more connected to their communities and less socially isolated, Berke told Reuters Health. Walkable
