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THE LINK BETWEEN LONG COMMUTES AND HEALTH PROBLEMS

-> In an Aug. 26th Sightline Daily Score entry, Anna Fahey wrote, "...As new research shows, long commutes -- car crashes and other accidents aside -- take their toll in other more insidious ways -- killing us slowly or at least causing some misery and suffering while we’re alive."

"In fact, American workers with lengthy commutes are more likely to report a range of adverse physical and emotional conditions, leading to lower overall scores on Gallup-Healthway’s 'well-being index.' Whether it’s time away from family and friends, sitting uncomfortably in a confined space, loss of exercise and recreation time, or bouts of road rage, long commutes take their toll..."

Source: http://tinyurl.com/2dckqzr

WALKING AND CYCLING TO HEALTH

-> A Comparative Analysis of City, State, and International Data

Authors: John Pucher, PhD, Ralph Buehler, PhD, David R. Bassett, PhD, and Andrew L. Dannenberg, MD, MPH

In press: forthcoming in the October 2010 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 100, No. 10, October 2010.

"Objectives: We determined the magnitude, direction, and statistical significance of the relationship between active travel and rates of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes."

"Methods: We examined aggregate cross-sectional health and travel data for 14 countries, all 50 US states, and 47 of the 50 largest US cities through graphical, correlation, and bivariate regression analysis on the country, state, and city levels."

"Results: At all 3 geographic levels, we found statistically significant negative relationships between active travel and self-reported obesity. At the state and city levels, we found statistically significant positive relationships between active travel and physical activity and statistically significant negative relationships between active travel and diabetes. Over half of the variation among countries in obesity rates is linked to differences in walking and cycling rates"

"Key Findings:
-- Over half of the variation among countries in obesity rates is linked to differences in walking and cycling rates
-- About 60% of the variation among states in physical activity levels is linked to differences in walking and cycling
-- About 30% of the variation among states and cities in obesity rates is linked to differences in walking and cycling
-- Over half of the variation among states in diabetes rates is linked to differences in walking and cycling"

"Conclusions: Together with many other studies, our analysis provides evidence of the population-level health benefits of active travel. Transport, land-use, and urban development policies should be designed to encourage walking and cycling for daily travel..."

Watch for details at this web page: "First Look at Published Articles"

http://tinyurl.com/3yxztpa

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