Changes in active commuting and changes in health: Within- and between-individual analyses among 16 881 Finnish public sector employees.
Cycling
Health
Hybrid model
Mental health
Sleep
Walking
Journal
Preventive medicine
ISSN: 1096-0260
Titre abrégé: Prev Med
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0322116
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Dec 2023
Dec 2023
Historique:
received:
29
06
2023
revised:
15
09
2023
accepted:
20
10
2023
pubmed:
24
10
2023
medline:
24
10
2023
entrez:
23
10
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Active commuting, such as walking or cycling to work, can be beneficial for health. However, because within-individual studies on the association between change in active commuting and change in health are scarce, the previous results may have been biased due to unmeasured confounding. Additionally, prior studies have often lacked information about commuting distance. We used two waves (2020, T1 and 2022, T2) of self-report data from the Finnish Public Sector study (N = 16,881; 80% female) to examine the within- and between associations (in a hybrid model) between active commuting and health. Exposure was measured by actively commuted kilometers per week, that is, by multiplying the number of walking or cycling days per week with the daily commuting distance. The primary outcome, self-rated health, was measured at T1 and T2. The secondary outcomes, psychological distress, and sleep problems were measured only at T2 and were therefore analyzed only in a between-individual design. After adjustment for potential time-varying confounders such as socioeconomic factors, body mass index, and health behaviors, an increase equivalent to 10 additional active commuting kilometers per week was associated with a small improvement in self-rated health (within-individual unstandardized beta = 0.01, 95% CI 0.01-0.02; between-individual unstandardized beta = 0.03, 95% CI 0.02-0.04). No associations were observed between changes in active commuting and psychological distress or sleep problems. An increase in active commuting may promote self-rated health. However, increase of tens of additional kilometers in commuting every day may be required to produce even a small effect on health.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Active commuting, such as walking or cycling to work, can be beneficial for health. However, because within-individual studies on the association between change in active commuting and change in health are scarce, the previous results may have been biased due to unmeasured confounding. Additionally, prior studies have often lacked information about commuting distance.
METHODS
METHODS
We used two waves (2020, T1 and 2022, T2) of self-report data from the Finnish Public Sector study (N = 16,881; 80% female) to examine the within- and between associations (in a hybrid model) between active commuting and health. Exposure was measured by actively commuted kilometers per week, that is, by multiplying the number of walking or cycling days per week with the daily commuting distance. The primary outcome, self-rated health, was measured at T1 and T2. The secondary outcomes, psychological distress, and sleep problems were measured only at T2 and were therefore analyzed only in a between-individual design.
RESULTS
RESULTS
After adjustment for potential time-varying confounders such as socioeconomic factors, body mass index, and health behaviors, an increase equivalent to 10 additional active commuting kilometers per week was associated with a small improvement in self-rated health (within-individual unstandardized beta = 0.01, 95% CI 0.01-0.02; between-individual unstandardized beta = 0.03, 95% CI 0.02-0.04). No associations were observed between changes in active commuting and psychological distress or sleep problems.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
An increase in active commuting may promote self-rated health. However, increase of tens of additional kilometers in commuting every day may be required to produce even a small effect on health.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37871670
pii: S0091-7435(23)00324-9
doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107744
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
107744Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interests.