TY - JOUR
T1 - What Is Driving Obesity? A Review on the Connections Between Obesity and Motorized Transportation
AU - King, Douglas M.
AU - Jacobson, Sheldon H.
PY - 2017/3/1
Y1 - 2017/3/1
N2 - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Traveling by automobile rather than walking or cycling can encourage obesity by eliminating physical activity. As national obesity rates in the USA have reached 37.9% in 2014, understanding the connections between obesity and transportation choices can help policymakers in the public health community propose effective obesity interventions at the national level.RECENT FINDINGS: Following from foundational studies examining associations between the built environment and leisure walking, recent studies consider a diverse set of transportation choices regarding mode (e.g., automobile, walking, public transit) and purpose (e.g., commuting, leisure), along with studies on the effectiveness of several transportation-related interventions for obesity. The reviewed studies point toward potential interventions for obesity; there is emerging evidence that commuting by public transit may be one such intervention. Moreover, new data-gathering tools such as global positioning systems, geographic information systems, and accelerometers may alleviate statistical obstacles in conducting future studies.
AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Traveling by automobile rather than walking or cycling can encourage obesity by eliminating physical activity. As national obesity rates in the USA have reached 37.9% in 2014, understanding the connections between obesity and transportation choices can help policymakers in the public health community propose effective obesity interventions at the national level.RECENT FINDINGS: Following from foundational studies examining associations between the built environment and leisure walking, recent studies consider a diverse set of transportation choices regarding mode (e.g., automobile, walking, public transit) and purpose (e.g., commuting, leisure), along with studies on the effectiveness of several transportation-related interventions for obesity. The reviewed studies point toward potential interventions for obesity; there is emerging evidence that commuting by public transit may be one such intervention. Moreover, new data-gathering tools such as global positioning systems, geographic information systems, and accelerometers may alleviate statistical obstacles in conducting future studies.
KW - Active travel
KW - Automobile travel
KW - Built environment
KW - Obesity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050578677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s13679-017-0238-y
DO - 10.1007/s13679-017-0238-y
M3 - Review article
C2 - 28243840
AN - SCOPUS:85050578677
SN - 2162-4968
VL - 6
SP - 3
EP - 9
JO - Current Obesity Reports
JF - Current Obesity Reports
IS - 1
ER -