Walking in parks versus urban streets for adults with prediabetes
Official title: Effects of Walking in Greenspace and the Built Environment in Adults with Prediabetes: A Randomized Crossover Trial
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11145173 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares short walks in parks versus walks in urban streets to help adults with prediabetes improve blood sugar control and reduce stress.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $631,376 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL170504-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11145173 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 or older with prediabetes who can walk for short periods and attend study visits in the Minneapolis area would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with established type 2 diabetes, severe mobility limitations, or medical conditions that prevent safe walking may not benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You would complete supervised short walks in both nearby greenspaces (parks) and built urban areas on different days as part of a crossover plan. During visits you would wear monitors for heart rate and activity, have blood pressure checks, provide blood or fingerstick samples for glucose and other biomarkers, and answer brief questionnaires about mood and stress. The team will also measure air pollution exposures during the walks to see how that interacts with your responses. Each participant acts as their own comparison by doing walks in both settings on separate occasions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could show that regular walking in greenspaces lowers blood sugar spikes and stress, which might help slow progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: Early and preliminary studies suggest greenspace exposure and walking can improve stress and heart-rate measures, but few rigorous randomized crossover trials have tested these effects in people with prediabetes.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pereira, Mark a — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Pereira, Mark a
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Walking in greenspace and built environments for adults with prediabetes
This study tests whether walking in parks or green spaces, compared to built environments, improves blood sugar and stress measures in adults with prediabetes.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.