Active commuting and cardiovascular disease risk: the CARDIA study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Exercise Science
• Cardiovascular Health

Background:

• Limited research exists on the health impacts of lifestyle exercise, specifically active commuting.
• Understanding the association between active commuting and obesity, fitness, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between active commuting (walking or biking to work) and health outcomes.
• To examine the relationship between active commuting and body weight, obesity, fitness, and CVD risk factors.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 2364 participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.
• Assessed self-reported active commuting (time, distance, mode) and its association with measured body weight, BMI, fitness (exercise stress testing), physical activity (accelerometry), CVD risk factors (blood pressure), and serum measures (lipids, glucose, insulin).
• Used sex-stratified multivariable regression modeling to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• 16.7% of participants engaged in active commuting.
• Active commuters showed reduced likelihood of obesity (OR, 0.50), lower triglyceride levels (ratio=0.88), lower fasting insulin (ratio=0.86), and lower diastolic blood pressure (difference=-1.67 mm Hg) compared to non-commuters.
• Active commuting was associated with higher fitness levels in both men (mean difference in treadmill duration=50.0 sec) and women (mean difference=28.77 sec).

Conclusions:

• Active commuting is positively associated with fitness in both men and women.
• Active commuting is inversely associated with BMI, obesity, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and insulin levels in men.
• Active commuting warrants further investigation as a strategy for health maintenance and improvement.