The exercise gap between Californians narrows when active transportation is taken into account

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Active transportation, such as walking and biking, is as important as leisure time exercise for keeping fit.
Previous surveys have pointed to a big gap between low and high income Californians when it comes to exercise. It looked as if lower income people took less exercise but this might have been because only leisure time activity is generally considered in such studies. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute now look at a new way of tallying up someone's exercise quota - by taking account of any walking and biking they might do during the day. This so called active transportation is a good form of exercise but it's a part of daily routine rather than a leisure activity.

When only leisure time exercise is considered, there is an 18 per cent difference between the number of white versus Latino Californians taking recommended exercise levels. But if active transportation is taken into account, the gap narrows to seven per cent. A similar reduction from 25 to 11 per cent is seen when looking at people with incomes four times poverty level compared with those below poverty level. Clearly walking and biking to work or college are important forms of exercise and useful ways of keeping fit for those who have limited time. Cities should be made more 'friendly' towards walking and biking, the researchers suggest. Philadelphia's transport layout favors walking and biking far more than, for example, Los Angeles.

Source
American Journal of Preventive Medicine July 2006 Volume 31 Number 4

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