WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Living in more intensely developed neighborhoods is associated with reduced incident stroke risk, according to a study published online Feb. 5 in Cities & Health.
Cathy L. Antonakos, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined development intensity as a potential influence on stroke risk among 25,330 adults in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study. Development intensity was measured in 8-km network buffers around 34,368 residential locations.
The researchers found that 5.2 percent of participants had an incident stroke during the 2003 to 2017 study period. Incident stroke risk was reduced in association with exposure to greater development intensity (hazard ratio, 0.975).
"High-intensity development typically includes greater housing density and more commercial/retail outlets," Antonakos said in a statement. "These areas are more likely to feature compact land uses with access to health care, food stores, public transport, and physical activity infrastructure like sidewalks, bike facilities, and parks."