Change Your Commute to Change Your Weight

Means of “active transport” – taking public transportation, walking, or cycling – are sustainable modes of commuting that associate with society-wide benefits  – most notably, by lowering the pollution burden.  Such modes of commuting are becoming recognized for their potential for benefits to individuals’ health. Adam Martin, from University of East Anglia, (United Kingdom), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 4,056 men and women, enrolled in the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) 2004-5, 2005-6, and 2006-7.  At each time point, the participants described their usual main mode of transport for their daily commute, and provided details of their height and weight (BMI) in 2004-5 and in 2006-7.  The researchers completed data analyses to ascertain if changes in mode of transport were linked to changes in weight over a two year period. In the first analysis, which included 3269 respondents, 179 people had stopped driving to work and were either walking or cycling (109) or taking public transport (70).   Switching from a car to walking, cycling, or public transport associate with a statistically significant average reduction in BMI of 0.32 kg/m2 – equivalent to a difference of around 1 kg a person, on average.  The team found that the longer the commute, the stronger  the association, with a reduction in BMI of 0.75 kg/m2 (equivalent to a weight loss of around 2 kg) associated with transits of more than 10 minutes, and 2.25 kg/m2 associated with commutes of more than 30 minutes—equivalent to weight loss of around 7 kg, on average.  In their second analysis, which included 787 people, 268 switched from active to passive travel. Some 156 stopped walking or cycling and 112 switched from public transport (usually a bus or coach) to the car. Switching to a car associated with a significant weight gain of around 1kg per person (or 0.34 kg/m2).  The study authors submit that: “Interventions to enable commuters to switch from private motor transport to more active modes of travel could contribute to reducing population mean BMI.”