Walking in a city neighbourhood, paving the way

Background: There is an increasing interest in the use of walking routes to promote physical activity. We explored the stated attitudes of selected residents from two adjacent low-income city neighbourhoods towards walking. This was in response to negative results obtained in a quantitative study assessing the impact of the Slí-na-Sláinte (path to health), a signed heart health walking route. Method: This was a qualitative focus group study. Results: The impact of the walking route was marginal. Four major themes influencing local walking emerged, centring on the social and physical environment. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the neighbourhoods are unreceptive to health promotion initiatives such as the Slí-na-Sláinte since residents are dealing with fundamental social and physical environmental issues. Initiatives such as the Slí-na-Sláinte need to be embedded in a supportive and facilitative environment if they are to achieve substantial impact.