Active Commuters Have Lower Heart Disease & Cancer Risk

In a recent study that was published in the BMJ Public Health, researchers looked at the prospective relationships separately for bicycles and pedestrians over an 18-year period between active commuting and a number of health outcomes.

Context
Regularly engaging in moderate-to-intense physical activity, including cycling and walking, provides major advantages for both mental and physical health.

There is evidence that riding a bicycle to work and, to a lesser extent, walking to work is linked to a lower risk of morbidity and death.

In order to comprehend the underlying mechanisms and investigate the long-term impacts of active commuting on a broader spectrum of health outcomes, more research is required.

About the study
Data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study (SLS), which represents 5.3% of the Scottish population based on the 1991, 2001, and 2011 Censuses, were obtained for this study. Personal identifiers were used to link data from prescription records, death registrations, and hospital admissions. Because important covariate data were unavailable in 1991 and 2011, 2001 was selected as the base year.

After removing the jobless, offshore workers, and those working outside the UK, 114,523 participants between the ages of 16 and 74 who traveled to work or study in the UK in 2001 were included.

4,67 active commuters who traveled more than 40.5 km and 31,759 people whose covariate data was missing were eliminated from the records. The total sample has 82,297 individuals in it.

Since anonymized data were used, patient and public participation was not necessary. Walking or cycling is considered active travel. The exposure variable was obtained from Census responses regarding the typical mode of transportation to work or study. Age, sex, pre-existing medical issues, socioeconomic status, and other possible confounders were examples of covariates.

For the follow-up period of 2001–2018, all-cause mortality, hospitalization, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, mental health medication, and hospitalization due to traffic accidents were binary variables.

After controlling for confounders, Cox proportional hazard models calculated the correlation between the method of transportation and health outcomes. The “survival package” and R 3.6.3 were used for the analyses.

Study findings
From 2001 to 2018, 82,297 participants from the Scottish Longitudinal Study were tracked by the research. 4,276 participants, or 5.2% of the cohort, passed away over this time, with cancer being the primary cause of death in 2,023, or nearly half of the total.

52,804 individuals (64.2%) in total required hospital admissions; of these, 9,663 (11.7%) had been hospitalized for cardiovascular disease (CVD), 5,939 (7.2%) for cancer, and 2,668 (3.2%) because of traffic accidents.

In addition, from 2009 to 2018, 31,666 participants (38.5%) had a prescription linked to cardiovascular disease, and 33,771 participants (41%) got a prescription for mental health issues.

When comparing foot commuters to non-active commuters, descriptive statistics for covariates by commuting mode revealed that the former were more likely to be younger, female, work shifts, commute fewer distances, and reside in metropolitan areas.

Their socioeconomic standing was generally lower, as seen by their occupation, home ownership, and likelihood of living in crowded families, as well as their decreased likelihood of having dependent children.

Those who commute by bicycle were more likely to be male, younger, work shifts, live in cities, and had fewer responsibilities such as being a homeowner or caregiver than non-commuters.

In conclusion
In summary, this research offers enduring proof of the health advantages associated with active commuting in Scotland. Compared to non-active commuters, cyclists had significantly decreased risks of mental health problems, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hospitalization.

Moreover, pedestrians had decreased risks of hospitalization, cardiovascular disease, and mental health problems. Cyclists are more likely to be involved in traffic accidents, although overall health advantages exceed the dangers.

These results support earlier studies and highlight the significance of encouraging active travel as a means of enhancing public health. Active commuting leads to increased physical activity, which is a major factor in these beneficial health outcomes.

For more information: Health benefits of pedestrian and cyclist commuting: evidence from the Scottish Longitudinal Study, BMJ Public Health, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2024-001295