Elsevier

Public Health

Volume 125, Issue 4, April 2011, Pages 210-216
Public Health

Original Research
Physical activity by stealth? The potential health benefits of a workplace transport plan

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2011.01.005Get rights and content

Summary

Objectives

There are few published evaluations of the effects of travel policy on health-enhancing physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a workplace travel plan, which mainly focused on restricting parking opportunities, on levels of active commuting and its potential to contribute to public health.

Study design

Analysis of a repeated bi-annual travel survey in a workplace setting.

Methods

Usual mode of commuting, gender, age, worksite location and distance commuted to and from work were obtained from the University of Bristol Staff Travel Surveys conducted in 1998 (n = 2292), 2001 (n = 2332), 2003 (n = 1950), 2005 (n = 2647) and 2007 (n = 2829). Z-tests were used to examine the significance of trends in active commuting between 1998 and 2007. The largest and most recent survey (2007) was used to calculate the effects of gender, age and salary band on mode of transport, length of commuter journey, and the extent to which active commuting contributed to meeting national recommendations for physical activity.

Results

Results showed that between 1998 and 2007, in contrast to national trends, the percentage of respondents who reported that they usually walked to work increased from 19.0% to 30.0% (Z = 4.24, P < 0.001). The percentage of regular cyclists increased from 7.0% to 11.8%, but this was not statistically significant. In 2007, regular walkers were more likely to be female, under 35 years of age and earning a middle-band salary. Regular cyclists were more likely to be male, aged 36–45 years and earning a higher-band salary. Approximately 70% of respondents who usually walked or cycled to work achieved greater than 80% of the recommended guidelines for physical activity through their active commuting.

Conclusions

This study suggests that transport plans aimed at reducing car usage should be considered as a feasible and effective strategy for increasing health-enhancing physical activity among the workforce.

Introduction

Promoting participation in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity is a public health priority in the UK1 and Europe.2 Physical activity reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers, and assists in the maintenance of a healthy weight.3, 4 Additionally, regular physical activity can reduce the risk of depression and dementia, and has positive benefits for mental well-being.4 Government guidelines state that adults need to accumulate at least 30 min of moderate-intensity physical activity on at least 5 days/week, representing a total of 150 min/week.3 Daily amounts can be achieved with similar positive effects through either a single 30-min session or several shorter bouts of activity of 10 min or more. However, a large proportion of the UK population does not meet these recommendations. The 2008 Health Survey of England5 indicated through self-report that only 39% of adult men and 29% of women met weekly recommended levels of physical activity. Clearly, feasible and effective strategies for increasing levels of activity are required if public health benefits are to be realised.

Health policy makers are engaged in several options aimed at motivating people to become more active. These include support through general practitioner referral for exercise schemes, a new physical activity care pathway (‘Let’s Get Moving’) and by increasing access to leisure opportunities such as free swimming, many of which are already part of English national policy.1, 6 However, there is concern that such schemes are more successful in attracting health-conscious, better-educated sectors, and overall these may increase health inequalities. A challenge remains to find acceptable modes of activity that can be incorporated into people’s everyday lives,7 and that also appeal to people from health-needy backgrounds. An alternative to physical activity as leisure, where barriers such as lack of motivation, cost and time constraints are often reported, is to promote naturally occurring activity such as walking and cycling as modes of daily travel.8

The World Health Organisation Charter on Transport, Environment and Health8 reported that the average walking journey in Europe is approximately 1.5 km, and the average cycling trip is 3.5 km, each taking approximately 15 min. However, national levels of daily walking have decreased steadily as car usage has increased.9 Walking and cycling to and from work may therefore have the potential to increase health-enhancing physical activity, especially if reduced usage of the car can be incentivised.10 At the same time, reductions in car usage would help cut emissions, reduce congestion and stimulate improvements in public transport provision.9 Therefore, an alternative approach to increasing opportunities for activity is to make car use more difficult.

Such an opportunity has arisen at the University of Bristol where, in 1999, a transport plan (www.bristol.ac.uk/transportplan/plan/theplan.html) was launched to ease congestion and onsite parking problems, and release parking spaces for building. Improved health or increased physical activity were not objectives of the Bristol University Transport Plan. The purpose of this study is therefore to assess the collateral impact of a transport plan that focused on reduced car usage on employee levels of walking and cycling to work. Transport plans have rarely been evaluated in terms of their health impact.11 A particular objective, therefore, was to attempt to estimate the potential of active travel to contribute to recommended amounts of activity for health.

Section snippets

Setting and strategy

The main precinct of the University of Bristol is located on an elevated site within 1 mile of the city centre, so space for building development is very limited and land prices are at a premium. Strategies of its Transport Plan featured both ‘carrot’ and ‘stick’ measures, including heavily limiting parking spaces and conditions for permits, increased parking charges, improving changing facilities for walkers and cyclists, new secure cycle storage, a subsidised cycle purchase scheme, a

Trends in active commuting

Fig. 1 shows that between 1998 and 2007, the percentage of respondents who reported that they usually (four to five times per week) walk to work increased from 19% to 30%. A two-tailed Z-test showed a statistically significant difference between the 2007 figures (P < 0.01) and each year with the exception of 2005. The percentage of respondents who reported that they usually cycle to work increased from 7% to 12%, but year comparisons with 2007 data failed to reach significance. Over the same

Main findings

The University of Bristol Transport Plan was initiated to reduce congestion and parking. Increasing physical activity or improved health was not an objective of the policy. A baseline and four follow-up surveys have allowed an estimate of the effects of the scheme on active commuting.

During the time the scheme has been operating, there has been a year-on-year increase in percentages of respondents who report walking as their primary mode of travel to work. Increases in percentages of

Conclusions

This study shows that a workplace transport plan aimed at decreasing car usage through restricted parking can significantly increase active travel through walking and cycling. The amounts of walking or cycling achieved among the active travellers were sufficient to meet a large percentage of the weekly recommended amounts for health benefits. Workplace transport plans should be considered a feasible and effective physical activity promotion strategy that can have public health impact.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Amy Watts and Martin Wiles, University of Bristol, for their assistance in accessing and interpreting the Bristol University Staff Travel Surveys. They would also like to thank Po Wen Ku, Taiwan Ministry of Sport, for his statistical help.

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