Walking or cycling to work 'improves well-being'

Commuters who changed their mode of travel to cycling or walking felt more content

14 September 2014

"Switching from driving a car to walking or cycling to work improves our well-being, a study suggests.

Active commuters felt better able to concentrate and under less strain than when travelling by car, University of East Anglia (UEA) researchers said.

Even going by public transport was preferable to driving, data from 18,000 UK commuters over 10 years suggested.

Researchers said policies encouraging people to leave their cars at home could have a big impact on well-being.

The physical health benefits of exercise are already well known and this study reinforces the idea that there are positive psychological effects too.

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People feel better when they have a longer walk to work”

Adam MartinUEA

The study, carried out at UEA's Norwich Medical School and the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, used data on nearly 18,000 adult commuters from across the UK over 18 years.

Out of this group, 73% said they went to work by car, 13% walked and 3% cycled to work. About 11% used public transport on their commute.

Those who had an active commute were found to have a higher level of well-being than those who went by car or public transport.

When researchers analysed the wellbeing of a small group who swapped the car or bus for a bike or going on foot, they found they became happier after the switch.

Walking or cycling to work improved the commuting experience

The study looked at feelings of worthlessness, unhappiness, sleepless nights, and being unable to face problems. The researchers also accounted for numerous factors known to affect well-being, including income, having children, moving house or job, and relationship changes.

Lead researcher Adam Martin, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "Our study shows that the longer people spend commuting in cars, the worse their psychological well-being. And correspondingly, people feel better when they have a longer walk to work."

Mr Martin said the study's finding that commuters felt better when travelling by public transport, compared with driving, was "surprising".

"You might think that things like disruption to services or crowds of commuters might have been a cause of considerable stress.

"But as buses or trains also give people time to relax, read, socialise, and there is usually an associated walk to the bus stop or railway station, it appears to cheer people up."

The UK Faculty of Public Health welcomed the findings of the study, published in the journal, Preventive Medicine.

It said streets that were for people, rather than cars, promoted neighbourliness and helped everyone to have happy communities."

Fonte e imagens: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29175088

Top doctor backs 'garden gym' idea

By Mark KinverEnvironment reporter, BBC News03.04.2014
"One of the UK's top doctors says an accumulating body of evidence supports a link between urban green space and benefits to human wellbeing.

Royal College of Physicians president Sir Richard Thompson said plants helped reduce stress, anger and depression.

He added the fourth biggest cause of death in the UK was a lack of activity, making it important to provide green spaces in which people could exercise.

He made the comments at a green cities conference in central London.

'Very impressive'

Although a growing number of scientific studies have produced evidence supporting the idea that urban green spaces are good for human wellbeing, the issue still remains on the margins of healthcare strategies.

Looking at a diverse array of flowering plants can help reduce stress, studies suggest

But Sir Richard observed: "When we look into the science of the beneficial effects of plants and gardening, there is quite a decent set of papers to read."

Referring to a series of "very impressive" controlled studies in the US, Sir Richard said they showed that gardens improved the mood within hospitals, reducing stress levels among patients, families and staff.

"What was very important was that the gardens had to have biodiversity - a variation of plants," he told delegates.

Among heart patients, the gardens were also shown to reduce post-operative anxiety, resulting in a reduction of medication.

But, he added: "Evidence showed that concrete gardens had no effect at all, so you had to have green gardens."

Sir Richard, a patron of Thrive - a charity that champions the benefits of gardening among people with disabilities or mental ill health - went on to explain how scientific studies had documented the health benefits of gardening.

"It improves your mood, increases flexibility, improves your balance and reduces the number of falls, which is a great problem for older people living at home by themselves."

He added that just getting outdoors had health benefits.

"We now know - from a recent study - that sunlight reduces blood pressure and a small reduction of blood pressure in the population produces a significant reduction of cardiovascular disease.

He concluded that urban green spaces could help ease the strain on health budgets.

"At a population scale, it can offer huge savings to the NHS by reducing the burden of preventable diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.

"Some people say there is a gym outside your window, and it is much cheaper than a gym subscription."

Opening the International Green City Conference, International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) secretary general Tim Briercliffe said urban dwellers were being cheated.

"Too often, we settle for second-rate landscapes because we do not know what it could be like," he told delegates.

He added that the AIPH event would "expose the foolishness of using the landscape as the place that savings can be made"."

Fonte e imagem: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26871970

Thrive: http://www.thrive.org.uk/