Abstract
BackgroundProspective data are sparse for active commuting to work and body weight in Asia. We assessed the association of 5-year changes in commuting mode with body mass index (BMI) and the indicators of abdominal obesity in Japanese working adults.MethodsIn this longitudinal study, we studied 29,758 participants (25,808 men and 3950 women) in Japan aged 30 to 64 years at baseline who underwent further health examination 5 years after the baseline examination. Changes in BMI were calculated from objectively measured body height and weight at baseline and follow-up examination. Visceral and subcutaneous fat areas and waist circumference measured by computed tomography scans were used as indicators for abdominal adiposity. Linear regression was applied to estimate the association of changes in commuting mode with the obesity outcomes.ResultsWithin the 5-year study period, adults who maintained inactive commuting gained weight, and compared with this group, adults who switched to inactive commuting had higher weight gain; conversely, adults who switched to active or public transportation commuting and especially those who maintained active or public transportation commuting experienced less weight gain. Subgroup analysis showed similar tendency across the different transitions of leisure-time exercise or occupational physical activity. For example, among adults who maintained no exercise (n = 16,087), the adjusted mean (95% confidence intervals) of the BMI change over 5 years in kg/m2 were 0.27 (0.24 to 0.30) for maintained inactive commuting group (reference), 0.34 (0.30 to 0.38) for switching to inactive commuting group (P = 0.046), 0.20 (0.18 to 0.22) for switching to active commuting or public transportation group (P = 0.001), and 0.09 (0.06 to 0.13) for maintained active commuting or public transportation group (P < 0.001). Maintained inactive commuting tended to be associated with larger gain in abdominal adiposity indicators.ConclusionSwitching from inactive commuting mode to more physically active commuting mode and maintaining active commuting can promote body weight control among working adults across different levels of occupational or leisure-time physical activity.
Highlights
The prevalence of obesity has substantially increased worldwide over 30 years [1], imposing tremendous disease burden [2]
We report the 5-year changes in commuting mode to work with simultaneous changes in objectively measured obesity indicators including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and visceral and subcutaneous fat measured via computed tomography (CT) scans among adults with majority of men
We investigated the commuting-BMI associations according to the leisure-time or occupational physical activity transitions, which may have an impact on the magnitude of BMI change
Summary
The prevalence of obesity has substantially increased worldwide over 30 years [1], imposing tremendous disease burden [2]. Car commuting, which is a physically inactive activity, has been the dominant mode of commuting in developed countries [4, 5] including Japan [6]. Changing from physically inactive commuting to more active commuting (e.g., walking, cycling, or public transportation use) has been considered as a promising strategy against issues of obesity control and traffic, green gas emission, air pollution, and noise [9,10,11], as suggested by the World Health Organization [12, 13]. Prospective data are sparse for active commuting to work and body weight in Asia. We assessed the association of 5-year changes in commuting mode with body mass index (BMI) and the indicators of abdominal obesity in Japanese working adults
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