Study shows that those who walk, bike and bus have better health that car drivers
Researchers at the University of Tennessee and Rutgers looked at 17 industrialized countries across Europe, North America and Australia and found the following:
“Countries with the highest levels of active transportation generally had the lowest obesity rates,” authors David Bassett of the University of Tennessee and John Pucher of Rutgers University conclude.
Americans, with the highest rate of obesity, were the least likely to walk, cycle or take mass transit, according to the study in a recent issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. The study relied on each country’s own travel and health data.
Only 12 percent use active transportation in the United States — 9 percent walk, 1 percent ride a bike and 2 percent take a bus or train — while a quarter to a third are obese, the study said.
By comparison, 67 percent of commuters in Latvia, 62 percent in Sweden and 52 percent in the Netherlands either walk, bike or use mass transit. Latvia’s obesity rate is 14 percent, the Netherlands’ is 11 percent and Sweden’s is 9 percent.
A similar pattern was found in Canada (19 percent active transportation, 23 percent obese) and Australia (14 percent active transportation, 21 percent obese).
Why don’t Americans walk, bike or take public transit as much as Europeans? The researchers explain that one reason is that the relative density of European cities makes it easier for people to get around without a car.
I would not be surprised if obesity rates for those who bike, walk, bus or take public transit in downtown Ann Arbor is lower than for Washtenaw County as a whole. One of the reasons I think this is because it is much easier to walk, bike and bus downtown than it is to do this in other parts of Washtenaw County that are less compact.
Of course, there are other factors that come into play in terms of who chooses to live in a more dense area and who doesn’t. But again, this really makes an argument for the importance of designing communities so that they support the use of sustainable and active transportation. And I don’t think this means only building housing, office space and commercial space downtown, and I don’t think means only building 20 story buildings.
There is also something to be said for building up some of the outlying areas so that they allow for mixed use and more dense development so that people can bike, walk, or bus to do their shopping rather than just rely on their cars.