Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycling

Study: Transit Commuters Have Less Body Fat Than Those Who Drive to Work

Those who commute by car are piling on the pounds faster than people who ride bikes -- and take transit -- to work, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal.

Those who take transit to work in the UK have less body fat, according to a new study. Photo: ##http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London.underground.arp.750pix.jpg##Wikimedia##
Those who take transit to work in the UK have less body fat, according to a new study. Photo: ##http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London.underground.arp.750pix.jpg##Wikimedia##
Those who take transit to work in the UK have less body fat, according to a new study. Photo: ##http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London.underground.arp.750pix.jpg##Wikimedia##

The study looked at health and commuting data over time for about 7,500 people in the United Kingdom. When controlling for factors like income, level of activity at work, and age, researchers found that commuting by foot, bike, or public transit was "significantly associated" with lower obesity metrics.

This finding might not be all that surprising, but researchers say scientific evidence that active commuting helps maintain a healthy body weight has been scant. The study also found that transit riders had slightly better numbers than those who walked or rode bikes to work.

After adjusting for other factors, researchers found that men who used public transportation to get to work had about 1.5 percentage points less body fat than men who drove. For men who commuted by foot or bike, the advantage was 1.35 percent. For women, transit riders had about 2 percent lower body fat, and bike commuters had 1.4 percent less.

The results were similar for another important measure of obesity: body mass index. For men, active commuting and transit use were associated with a lower body mass index of about 1 point -- that translates to 10 pounds for a man who is 5' 10" tall or a woman who is 5' 5". In women, active or transit commuting translated to about .75 points lower BMI.

"There are potentially large population-level health gains to be made by shifting to more active modes of travel," researchers said.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Turn Up the Heat

Triple-digit heat, fueled by climate change, is warping rail lines, interrupting construction work on transit lines and causing burns on sidewalks.

July 16, 2024

These Are the Most Dangerous Congressional Districts for Pedestrians

The deadliest congressional districts in America are dominated by BIPOC communities — and federal officials need to step up to save the most vulnerable road users.

July 16, 2024

Delivery Worker Minimum Wage Shows Promise … For Some, Data Shows

New data from New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection shows minimum wage is bringing order to a previously wild industry.

July 15, 2024

Monday’s Headlines Go Through Basic Training

An NYU study looks into why the U.S. is lagging behind on high-speed rail, and one transportation expert ponders the impact on growth.

July 15, 2024

Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Sustainable Urban Design

A new book hopes to act as a "magic decoder ring" to our built environment — and a powerful tool to understand how sustainable transportation networks can fit within them.

July 15, 2024
See all posts