Douglas M King1, Sheldon H Jacobson2. 1. Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 117 Transportation Building, 104 S. Mathews Avenue, MC-238, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA. dmking@illinois.edu. 2. Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 201 North Goodwin Avenue, MC-258, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Traveling by automobile rather than walking or cycling can encourage obesity by eliminating physical activity. As national obesity rates in the USA have reached 37.9% in 2014, understanding the connections between obesity and transportation choices can help policymakers in the public health community propose effective obesity interventions at the national level. RECENT FINDINGS: Following from foundational studies examining associations between the built environment and leisure walking, recent studies consider a diverse set of transportation choices regarding mode (e.g., automobile, walking, public transit) and purpose (e.g., commuting, leisure), along with studies on the effectiveness of several transportation-related interventions for obesity. The reviewed studies point toward potential interventions for obesity; there is emerging evidence that commuting by public transit may be one such intervention. Moreover, new data-gathering tools such as global positioning systems, geographic information systems, and accelerometers may alleviate statistical obstacles in conducting future studies.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Traveling by automobile rather than walking or cycling can encourage obesity by eliminating physical activity. As national obesity rates in the USA have reached 37.9% in 2014, understanding the connections between obesity and transportation choices can help policymakers in the public health community propose effective obesity interventions at the national level. RECENT FINDINGS: Following from foundational studies examining associations between the built environment and leisure walking, recent studies consider a diverse set of transportation choices regarding mode (e.g., automobile, walking, public transit) and purpose (e.g., commuting, leisure), along with studies on the effectiveness of several transportation-related interventions for obesity. The reviewed studies point toward potential interventions for obesity; there is emerging evidence that commuting by public transit may be one such intervention. Moreover, new data-gathering tools such as global positioning systems, geographic information systems, and accelerometers may alleviate statistical obstacles in conducting future studies.
Entities:
Keywords:
Active travel; Automobile travel; Built environment; Obesity
Authors: Cynthia L Ogden; Margaret D Carroll; Hannah G Lawman; Cheryl D Fryar; Deanna Kruszon-Moran; Brian K Kit; Katherine M Flegal Journal: JAMA Date: 2016-06-07 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Ningqi Hou; Barry M Popkin; David R Jacobs; Yan Song; David K Guilkey; Ka He; Cora E Lewis; Penny Gordon-Larsen Journal: Prev Med Date: 2011-02-19 Impact factor: 4.018
Authors: Ailsa J McKay; Anthony A Laverty; Krithiga Shridhar; Dewan Alam; Amit Dias; Joseph Williams; Christopher Millett; Shah Ebrahim; Preet K Dhillon Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2015-10-24 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Holly L Richmond; Joana Tome; Haresh Rochani; Isaac Chun-Hai Fung; Gulzar H Shah; Jessica S Schwind Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-10-31 Impact factor: 3.390