[One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day Thousand Characters] Local Government Walking Programs Show Strong Effects... Walking Practice Rate 'Soars'

As local governments operate walking exercise programs to promote public health, the walking practice rate has also significantly increased.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's '2023 Community Health Survey,' the walking practice rate dropped to a low of 37.4% in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic but rose by 10.5 percentage points to 47.9% last year. The 'walking practice rate,' which refers to the percentage of people who walked for at least 10 minutes per session, totaling 30 minutes or more per day, at least five days a week during the past week, had been declining since the survey began in 2008 until 2020. The 'moderate or higher physical activity practice rate,' which measures engaging in vigorous physical activity for at least 20 minutes a day, three days a week, or moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, also fell to 19.8% in 2020 but rebounded to 25.1% last year.

Although outdoor activities decreased and walking activities sharply declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is interpreted that the walking activities of the public are being revitalized thanks to the effects of walking programs conducted by various local governments recently.

The walking practice rate of residents in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, is 64.1%, significantly exceeding the national average. This means that 64 out of 100 Yeongam residents regularly practice healthy walking, the highest rate in Jeollanam-do. Yeongam-gun attributes this to the effectiveness of the 'Senior Walking Mileage' and 'WalkOn Walking Challenge,' which are campaign pledges of the 8th local government administration. It is explained as the result of Yeongam residents accepting walking as a part of their daily culture through various walking events and activities.

Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, also saw its walking practice rate increase by more than 19% to 49.3% last year after operating walking programs for four years since 2020. The county health center explained that the continuous operation of the 'One Lap Around Our Neighborhood, Ttubok Ttubok Program' played a significant role.

Naju-si, Jeollanam-do, will conduct the '1305 (30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) Healthy Walking Challenge' next month. Last year, it attracted over 1,500 participants and was analyzed to have led to tangible improvements in the walking practice rate. A city official said, "We will contribute to improving quality of life and preventing obesity by continuously encouraging healthy walking practice."

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