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The association between commuter cycling and sickness absence
Ingrid J M Hendriksen1, Monique Simons, Francisca Galindo Garre
1TNO Quality of Life, Leiden, The Netherlands. ingrid.hendriksen@tno.nl
Preventive Medicine
|June 29, 2010
Summary
Cycling to work is linked to fewer sick days. Increased cycling distance and frequency correlate with reduced employee absenteeism, indicating a dose-response relationship.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Employee sickness absence represents a significant cost to businesses and impacts productivity.
- Understanding modifiable lifestyle factors, such as commuting methods, can inform strategies to reduce absenteeism.
- Commuter cycling is a prevalent activity in some regions, offering potential health benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between commuter cycling and all-cause sickness absence among employees.
- To examine a potential dose-response relationship between the distance, frequency, and speed of commuter cycling and sickness absence.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 1236 Dutch employees.
- Data collected via self-report questionnaire on cycling habits and company absenteeism records over one year.
- Propensity scores and zero-inflated Poisson models used for statistical analysis to adjust for confounders.
Main Results:
- Cyclists had, on average, over one day less total sickness absence duration compared to non-cyclists over the study year.
- A higher proportion of individuals with zero absenteeism was observed in the cycling group.
- A dose-response relationship was evident: greater cycling distance and frequency were associated with fewer reported sick days.
Conclusions:
- Commuting by bicycle is significantly associated with lower rates of sickness absence.
- The benefits of cycling for reducing absenteeism appear to increase with greater cycling distance and frequency.
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