More Americans Need to Walk to Work, New Research Shows
Jul 14, 2009 | Posted by bryan | 0 Comments
The majority of Americans are being urged to leave their cars at home and use their commute to exercise by the authors of a new study.
A survey, which was led by researchers at the University of North Carolina, showed that only 17 per cent of 2,300 respondents said that they either walked or cycled part of the way to work.
The results, which studied the length of a commute, methods of travel and fitness levels, showed that those people who undertook exercise on the way to or from work performed better on treadmill tests.
Men, who had a more active commute, achieved healthier results for body mass index, blood pressure, insulin and blood fats when compared with their female counterparts.
The study suggested that women were less healthy as they commuted shorter distances or may have travelled to work less energetically.
Researchers at the university suggested that many commuters used their vehicles due to a lack of bike paths, dilapidated pavements and long distances between home and work.
A study unveiled at the recent Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease showed that physical exercise can reduce the risk of people suffering from dementia.