According to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, walking to work may reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes by 40% when compared to other methods of transport such as driving. People commuting by foot were also found to be 17% less likely to develop high blood pressure.
The study, which was performed by researchers from Imperial College London and University College London, collected data from 20 000 people living in the UK to investigate the influence of travel on health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
It was found that people who cycled to work were 50% less likely to have diabetes compared to drivers. Cycling, public transport and walking were all associated with a reduced risk of being overweight compared to driving or travelling by taxi. Furthermore, a greater percentage of people commuting by car, taxi or motorcycle were obese (19%) compared to those who walked (15%) or cycled (13%).
Although these findings suggest that active travel to work (including walking, cycling and public transport) could decrease the risk of developing adverse health outcomes, a cause and effect relationship has not been confirmed.
Co-author Anthony Laverty, School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said: “This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health.”
The full-text article can be found here: http://www.ajpmonline.org/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE_3837-stamped-080613.pdf
