West Homestead Walks Together Community Walking App

Mentor: Dr. Afsaneh Doryab

Client:  West Homestead Borough

Description: 

The many physical benefits of walking are commonly known – improved circulation, lowered blood pressure, improved bone density, enhanced muscle tone, better sleep, increased stamina. In older adults, regular walking has been shown to slow age-related memory decline and lower the incidence of dementia and Alzheimers. And of course, for the more than two-thirds of adults who are overweight or obese, walking can contribute to weight loss and weight maintenance. However, at least one study has found that Americans only walk about half of the recommended 10,000 steps per day.
As a “Live Well Allegheny” Community, West Homestead has been exploring more ways to get residents outside and moving. In addition to a planned non-motorized boat ramp on the Monongahela, Borough officials would like to see more people walking in the community.
People across every age group have a number of barriers that may prevent them from engaging in physical activities, such as walking, as frequently as medical professionals advise. Older adults may have lost a spouse and/or peers. As new neighbors move into the community, they may not have the same social connections they previously experienced. Early- and late-stage families have full plates as they raise children, and find it difficult to fit exercise into the schedule. Young professionals, developing a career, maybe spending long hours at their job, returning home with too-little daylight or energy to walk.
 

Deliverables:
The latest data suggests that 20% of Americans own a fitness tracker. West Homestead would like to take advantage of that statistic, and work with programmers to develop a community mobile app that would:
1.        Help residents identify a local walking buddy. People who have fitness partners are more likely to stick with the habit as their buddy provides encouragement, support, and companionship.
2.        Provide incentives for residents to walk more frequently, and take more steps on a daily basis. These could include collaborations with community businesses, such as Target, Costco, Sandcastle, Giant Eagle.
3.        Permit West Homestead to 'compete' with other municipalities to encourage resident participation and help build community.
4.        Add their data steps walked, etc. to a community data base. This will permit the Borough to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of the app.