A morning stroll: Levels of physical activity in car and mass transit commuting

Richard E. Wener, Gary W. Evans

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Walking as part of the commute has been suggested as a source of healthful moderate activity, although there has been little empirical study to verify this supposition or determine whether one mode is superior to others. This cross-sectional study assessed differences between car and train commuters in level of physical activity. One hundred eleven train and car commuters were asked to wear a pedometer for one week of commuting on their regular route plus complete a standardized self-report physical activity index. Train commuters walked an average of 30% more steps per day, reported having walked for a period of 10 minutes or more while traveling significantly more often, and were 4 times more likely to walk 10,000 steps per day than car commuters. Transportation mode can significantly affect the amount of physical activity commuters accumulate during the course of a typical work day without planned or coordinated exercise programs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)62-74
Number of pages13
JournalEnvironment and Behavior
Volume39
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2007

Keywords

  • Health
  • Pedometers
  • Physical activity
  • Transit use
  • Walking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Environmental Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A morning stroll: Levels of physical activity in car and mass transit commuting'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this