Choose bus for health — #lovemybus
#lovemybus – choosing to travel by bus is good for your health
Research tells us that walking routinely such as to the bus can protect against disease and improve life expectancy. A lack of physical activity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths in Scotland and costs the NHS around £91 million per year which imposes major costs on the economy. This large disease burden from chronic and preventable diseases also reduces quality of life.
It is increasingly recognised that transport mode choice can significantly affect the amount of physical activity commuters accumulate during the course of a typical workday without planned or co-ordinated exercise programmes (the benefits also apply to those using public transport for other purposes).
Professor Davis notes that,
‘Cross-sectional studies have assessed differences between car, bus and train commuters in level of physical activity. In one study, those who walk to and from public transport stops obtained an appreciable amount of daily transport-related physical activity (median of 19 minutes). This study also suggests that 29% of public transport (train and bus) walkers achieve 30 minutes of daily physical activity solely by walking to and from transport stops. Overall, 21% of bus users achieved 30 minutes a day of physical activity in the course of their journeys.’
Walking as part of the commute has been suggested as a source of healthful moderate activity, as it is widely recognised that regular walking protects against a range of major diseases.
#lovemybus Champion Scott would agree with this and chooses the bus to commute, ‘because it is stress-free and allows me to get family updates’. He goes on to say that, ‘where I live now, the bus stop is right outside my house, but before I moved it was a 10-minute walk to the stop and I could definitely see the health benefits of walking to the bus stop’.
So, choose the bus this new year, make your journey stress-free and connect with your family. You never know who you might meet on your commute! (Scott actually met his wife on the bus!)
