Active travel may have positive effects on health outcomes , but there is little robust evidence to date of the effectiveness of active transport interventions for reducing obesity .
BACKGROUND Increasing active travel ( primarily walking and cycling ) has been widely advocated for reducing obesity levels and achieving other population health benefits .
However , the strength of evidence underpinning this strategy is unclear .
This study aim ed to assess the evidence that active travel has significant health benefits .
Physical Activity and Coronary Event Incidence in Northern Ireland and France: The Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME)
Background —The influence of physical activity on the incidence of angina pectoris and hard coronary events ( myocardial infa rct ion and coronary deaths ) was examined in Northern Irel and and France at contrasting risk for coronary heart disease ( CHD ) and with different physical activity patterns . Methods and Results — Participants of the Prospect i ve Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infa rct ion ( PRIME ) ( n=9758 ; age , 50 to 59 years ) , free of CHD at baseline , were followed up for 5 years : 167 hard CHD and 154 angina events were recorded .  Net energy expenditure ( EE ) as the result of physical activity was assessed by means of the MONICA Optional Study of Physical Activity Question naire ( MOSPA-Q ) .  Leisure-time physical activity EE was calculated ; subjects were also categorized as to whether they performed high-intensity leisure-time activities or walked or cycled to work . After multivariate adjustment , leisure-time physical activity EE was associated with a lower risk of hard CHD events ( P < 0.04 ) , whereas walking or cycling to work was not independently related to hard CHD events . No interaction by country was found . The beneficial effect of leisure-time physical activity  was also present among subjects who did not report high-intensity activities ( P < 0.04 ) , with similar results in France and Northern Irel and . In contrast , an increasing level of leisure-time physical activity  was associated with a higher risk of angina in both countries . Conclusions —These data indicate a beneficial effect of leisure-time physical activity EE on hard CHD incidence in middle-aged men , which could partly explain the unfavorable rate of CHD in Northern Irel and . The higher level of leisure-time activities in France could , in part , explain its lower rate of CHD
Active travel may have positive effects on health outcomes , but there is little robust evidence to date of the effectiveness of active transport interventions for reducing obesity .
BACKGROUND Increasing active travel ( primarily walking and cycling ) has been widely advocated for reducing obesity levels and achieving other population health benefits .
However , the strength of evidence underpinning this strategy is unclear .
This study aim ed to assess the evidence that active travel has significant health benefits .