Active Transportation Leads to Leaner Nations

File this under "Well, duh". Apparently, countries that have higher rates of bicycling, walking and mass transit usage are populated by leaner people.

Study: Leaner nations bike, walk, use mass transit
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD

Jim Richards is no kid, but he loves to ride his bike. At 51, he has become a cycling commuter, pedaling 11 miles from his home in the suburbs to his job in downtown Knoxville.

"It really doesn't take that much longer" than driving, he insists.

And he gets 40 minutes of exercise twice a day without going to the gym, which he attributes to a 20-pound weight loss.

New research illustrates the health benefits of regular biking, walking or taking public transportation to work, school or shopping. Researchers found a link between "active transportation" and less obesity in 17 industrialized countries across Europe, North America and Australia.

"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).

Overall, Bassett said, "Europeans walk three times as far and cycle five times as far as Americans."

The authors say it's more than lifestyle choices that lead Americans to use their cars more. Europe's compact, dense layout and infrastructure are more conducive to getting around without a car.

Europeans on average walk 237 miles and cycle 116 miles per year; U.S. residents walk 87 miles and bike 24 miles. Bassett and Pucher calculated that translates into burning off 5 to 9 pounds of fat annually for Europeans compared to only 2 pounds for Americans.

While the analysis doesn't prove that transportation keeps obesity levels down "they make an excellent case," said Susan Handy, who heads the Sustainable Transportation Center at the University of California at Davis.

"The question, then, is what do we do?" said Handy, who was not involved in the study. "How do we get more people walking and bicycling in the U.S.?"

Anne Lusk, a research fellow at Harvard School of Public Health, said the study's results make sense.

"What I found most exciting about this excellent research is the applicability," she said. "The issue then becomes should we improve our transit, walking or bicycling opportunities simultaneously or should we focus on one of the three?"

Lusk said her first choice is bicycles - and not just because of global warming, fluctuating gas prices or the economic downturn. When Dutch researchers asked people to match emotions with various forms of travel, she said, "The greatest emotion was joy for bicycling."

Richards rekindled his love affair with a two-wheeler a few years ago while visiting bike-friendly Sweden.

Back home, he has a couple of things going for him. Richards lives in a medium-size Southern city where police officers can be found patroling on bikes and the mayor sometimes cycles to city hall.

The car is still king here, like most places in the United States, but Knoxville has developed a 41-mile greenway system that keeps Richards mostly on paved trails and off city streets.

He also works for an environmentally conscious employer. The country store-themed Mast General Stores of Valle Crucis, N.C., pays Richards and his co-workers $4 a day to ride, walk or catch a bus rather drive than their car.

After a year, his annual checkup shows the results: his heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol all are down.

"I just love riding," he said. "It's like a double-shot of caffeine in the morning."

Well, isn't that surprising. Okay, not really, but this has an implications for Mississippi. As you are probably aware, Mississippi leads the nation in obesity, and ranks high in the number of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Also not surprising is that Mississippi ranks near the bottom (47^th) in bicycling. For those who live in Mississippi who bicycle and/or walk, please consider donating Bike Walk Mississippi, supporting Let's Go Walking Mississippi and, whenever possible, use your local mass transit system.

Bicycle Accidents and Fatalities Statistics

I always say that bicycling is a easy, healthy and safe way to commute to work and to run errands. However, there are those who claim that bicycling, especially in this area, is anything but safe. After a little research, I was able to come up with some interesting statistics that help support my claim.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released their 2007 Traffic Safety Fact Sheets. Among the reports is one that addresses bicyclists and other cyclists. The report states that there were 698 cyclists killed and 43,000 injured in traffic crashes. The numbers sound alarming until you realize that cyclists account for only 2% of traffic fatalities and injuries during this time period. The total number of traffic fatalities for 2007 was 41,059 out of a population of 301,621,000. Of those, 698, or 1.7%, were cyclists. That gives a ratio of 2.31 cyclists killed per one million people. That is slightly more than 1 cyclist killed out of 500,000 people. Your odds of being killed on a bicycle are better than being dealt a straight flush (1 in 72,193.33 ), but less than being dealt a royal flush (1 in 649,740).

Now lets consider the data from Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for motorized vehicles. For 2007, there were 37,248 fatal motor vehicle crashes resulting in 30,401 deaths. That results in 123.49 fatalities per one million people. That means you are 53 times more likely to die in a car accident than you would be killed riding a bicycle.

Now, back to the bicycle injuries and fatalities for a moment. The highest fatality rates where male riders between the ages of 45 and 54 (132 killed, 6.11 fatality rate). Among female riders, the highest fatality rates where in the 35-44 age group (18 killed, 0.84 fatality rate). The highest injury rates were among male riders between the ages of 10 and 15 (8,000 injured, 614.6 injury rate) and among women, it was the same age range with 2,000 injuries and an injury rate of 130.9. The injury rates are high, but taken into consideration the age group in question, it is not alarming or even surprising. After all, this is the age group that is most likely to be involved in BMX, youth mountain bike racing, and general reckless behavior.

According to these data, the location of accidents is almost evenly split between intersections and non-intersections for ages between 10 and 20. Cyclists in the 21-24 age group are three times more likely to be hit at non-intersections than at intersections. For ages 21 and over, the number of accidents at non-intersections outweigh the number of accidents at intersections. The number one reported factor in bicycle accidents is the failure to yield the right of way (20.9%). No reported factors accounted for 37.5% of bicycle accidents, so no reliable way to determine the causes of these accidents. Time of day seems to have little effect on the number of accidents. However, there is a significant increase in the hours between 3:00 p.m. and 8:59 p.m. I am merely guessing here, but that includes the afternoon rush hour traffic and, during the fall to spring, the setting of the sun, both of which may play a factor. Also of interest, light trucks, including SUVs, account for the majority of bicycle related accidents (297) with passenger cars coming in second (242).

Yes, there are risks with riding a bicycle, but the same is true of most every activity from washing dishes to skydiving. There is no way to eliminate all risks, but much can be done to mitigate the risk factors to a reasonable and manageable level. The first and most obvious is to wear a helmet. I know that there is a debate about the effectiveness of helmets to prevent all injuries, but the fact is helmets do help prevent many head injuries that would be otherwise fatal or debilitating.

However, helmet use alone does not make a bicyclist safe, or even safer. Learning proper riding style and obeying the rules of the road plays a much bigger factor to being safe on the road, as does being visible. Headlights and tail lights, reflectors, and brightly colored clothing will help drivers see you better, especially at night or low light conditions (e.g., riding on a tree shaded road). Choosing appropriate routes (e.g., less motorized traffic, slower speeds) will lessen the number of possible incidents. Use of hand signals for lane changes, turns, and slowing/stopping helps you communicate with drivers, as does proper lane positioning. Also, be aware of the most common hazards and how to avoid them.

And to quote Sergeant Esterhaus from "Hill Street Blues", "Hey, let's be careful out there."