Repository logo
 

Longitudinal associations of active commuting with wellbeing and sickness absence.


Change log

Authors

Mytton, Oliver Tristan 

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to explore longitudinal associations of active commuting (cycling to work and walking to work) with physical wellbeing (PCS-8), mental wellbeing (MCS-8) and sickness absence. METHOD: We used data from the Commuting and Health in Cambridge study (2009 to 2012; n=801) to test associations between: a) maintenance of cycling (or walking) to work over a one year period and indices of wellbeing at the end of that one year period; and b) associations between change in cycling (or walking) to work and change in indices of wellbeing. Linear regression was used for testing associations with PCS-8 and MCS-8, and negative binomial regression for sickness absence. RESULTS: After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, physical activity and physical limitation, those who maintained cycle commuting reported lower sickness absence (0.46, 95% CI: 0.14-0.80; equivalent to one less day per year) and higher MCS-8 scores (1.50, 0.10-2.10) than those who did not cycle to work. The association for sickness absence persisted after adjustment for baseline sickness absence. No significant associations were observed for PCS-8. Associations between change in cycle commuting and change in indices of wellbeing were not significant. No significant associations were observed for walking. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides some evidence of the value of cycle commuting in improving or maintaining the health and wellbeing of adults of working age. This may be important in engaging employers in the promotion of active travel and communicating the benefits of active travel to employees.

Description

Keywords

Absenteeism, Adult, Bicycling, Epidemiology, Health Status, Motor Activity, Psychological, Sick Leave, Transportation, Walking, Absenteeism, Adolescent, Adult, Bicycling, Exercise, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Socioeconomic Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, Transportation, Walking

Journal Title

Prev Med

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0091-7435
1096-0260

Volume Title

84

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (103394/Z/13/Z)
NETSCC (None)
TCC (None)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12015/6)
null (unknown)
Medical Research Council (MR/K023187/1)
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/G007462/1)
Wellcome Trust (087636/Z/08/Z)
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) (BRC 2012-2017)
NIHR Evaluation Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (09/3001/06)
The Commuting and Health in Cambridge study was developed by David Ogilvie, Simon Griffin, Andy Jones and Roger Mackett and initially funded under the auspices of the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. The study is now funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (project number 09/3001/06: see http://www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/projects/phr/09300106). David Ogilvie is supported by the Medical Research Council [Unit Programme number MC_UP_12015/6]. Jenna Panter is supported by an NIHR post-doctoral fellowship [PDF-2012-05-157] and Oliver Mytton by a Welcome Trust clinical doctoral fellowship. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR, the NHSor the Department of Health. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript. We thank all staff from the MRC Epidemiology Unit Functional Group Team, in particular for study coordination and data collection (led by Cheryl Chapman and Fiona Whittle) and data management (Lena Alexander). We also thank Emma Coombes for linking postcodes to deprivation indices and Louise Foley for her contribution to preparing the questionnaire data for analysis.