Public transport commuters are healthier
According to a study from Japan, bus and train commuters are slimmer and healthier. The study says that going to work by taking a bus or train may significantly reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
While studies have established that a physically active lifestyle helps reduce the likelihood of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, it is unclear whether these risk factors for heart disease and stroke are affected by how you get to work.
This study compared bus commuters, train commuters, walkers, bikers and drivers (those who drive their own cars to work) and adjusted for factors such as age, gender, smoking, etc.
Compared to drivers (those who drive their own cars to work), public transportation users were:
- 44% less likely to be overweight
- 27% less likely to have high blood pressure
- 34% less likely to risk of diabetes
The lead author Hisako Tsuji, director of the Moriguchi City Health Examination Centre in Japan, said, ‘If it takes longer than 20 minutes one-way to commute by walking or cycling, many people seem to take public transportation or a car in urban areas of Japan.’
It is to be seen if this mode of commute to work will provide the same health benefits to commuters in the Indian metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and others where it is a challenge to get in and out of a bus or a train due to overcrowding.
