[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] Obesity ↓ Walking ↑... 'Walk Mokgam 7,000 Steps' Amazing Effects

KCDC-Siheung City 'Mokgamgil 7,000 Steps Walking' and 3 Years of Practice Effects
Obesity Rate Decreased by 22.8%, Walking Practice Rate Increased by 38.5%
Walking Participants Increased from 80 in Dec '22 to 384 in Jul '23

Siheung City in Gyeonggi Province will hold a "Midsummer Night Healthy Walk" on the evening of August 31 at 7 PM, walking together along the Mulwang Waterfront Trail to help citizens relieve stress and recover their stamina from the heat. This event involves walking one lap around Mulwang Lake, which is the 5th course of Siheung’s "Let's Walk Mokgam 7,000 Steps" program, covering about 4 km in approximately one hour.

Since last year, Siheung City has been promoting the "Let's Walk Mokgam 7,000 Steps Challenge" to encourage local residents to maintain their health through regular walking. Participants are recruited monthly, and citizens who complete each course receive souvenirs and stamps. To support this, a "Let's Walk Mokgam 7,000 Steps" map was created. The six courses?Nongok Village, Unhongsan, Yangdalcheon, Masan, Mulwang Waterfront, and Piul?each cover 4 to 5 km, roughly 7,000 steps, and can be walked within about an hour. The reason for setting 7,000 steps is that it is more effective to consistently walk at least 7,000 steps or 30 minutes daily for health benefits rather than overexerting oneself.

About 500 citizens participated in the "Let's Walk Again, Siheung! Siheung Citizens' Walking Festival" held by the Siheung City Public Health Center on April 8 at Gaetgol Ecological Park.
[Photo by Siheung City]

As part of the Healthy Apartment Project, Siheung City also operated a monthly challenge (Neighborhood One Lap) based on walking courses within apartment complexes. For the stair climbing challenge, photo zones created by residents were attached to staircases, and participants who posted photos on social media after climbing the stairs received prizes. A plogging challenge, which involves picking up trash while jogging or walking, was also held. At healthy cafes, customers were offered options to adjust sugar levels in three steps and to choose sparkling water instead of soda when ordering drinks. Resident-led clubs such as walking clubs and breastfeeding clubs were operated, and the environment was improved by maintaining tree-lined streets to encourage walking. Additionally, designated health-promoting childcare centers provided water instead of sugary drinks and offered children's exercise classes to help establish healthy habits from early childhood.

The Nordic Walking class held in April at Mokgam Park, Siheung City
[Photo by Siheung City]

Initially, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) collaborated with Gyeonggi Province and Siheung City to implement a three-year project from 2020 aimed at reducing disparities in moderate or higher physical activity rates in small local areas after Gyeonggi Province ranked low in the Community Health Survey. From this initiative, the "Together for Better Health System Mokgam" was developed by incorporating residents’ needs into concrete programs such as "Let's Walk Mokgam 7,000 Steps" and the "Healthy Apartment Project." Due to positive community response, Siheung City expanded these programs using its own budget even after national funding ended in 2023. In fact, the number of walking participants increased 4.8 times from 80 in December 2022 to 384 in July 2023, and participating apartments grew from 2 to 5. Over three years (2020?2022) in Mokgam-dong, Siheung City, obesity rates decreased by 22.8% (from 35.9% to 27.7%), and walking practice rates increased by 38.5% (from 35.1% to 48.6%).

Mayor Lim Byung-taek of Siheung City said, "Despite difficulties caused by COVID-19, this project has visibly improved residents’ health by reducing obesity rates and increasing walking practice rates. To sustain and develop these achievements, we will make various policy efforts to create a healthy city where citizens can enjoy a healthy life in their daily routines." KDCA Director Ji Young-mi stated, "We will widely promote the excellent results of various local government projects so that not only Gyeonggi Province but the entire country can utilize them to reduce health disparities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.