Health Statistics
This section contains:- Health benefits of bicycling
- Bicycling for transportation vs. regular exercise
- How bicycling for transportation helps control weight
- Why bicycling is good for kids
- Bicycling and lungs
- In 2005 motor vehicles produced $56 billion in health and other non-climate-related damages, about 1.2 to 1.7 cents for every mile traveled.
- Women who live near busy or congested roads tend to have impaired cognitive performance in old age.
- For a comprehensive review of the health benefits of bicycling, turn to Cycling England's "Cycling and Health" report.
Health benefits of bicycling
- By 2017, Portland, Oregon residents will have saved $64 million in health care costs thanks to bicycling. By 2040, they will have invested $162 million in bicycling yet saved more than $1 billion dollars in health care costs, a return on investment of 6.5 to 1 for health care costs alone.
- After bicycle lanes were installed post-Katrina on a New Orleans, Louisiana street, there was a 57% increase in the number of cyclists. The number of female cyclists increased 133%, and the percentage of cyclists riding in the correct direction increased from 73% to 82%.
- People exercise for longer when they are outside compared to at home, work, or a gym.
- A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions through an increase in biking and walking for transportation has greater health benefits for a population than from the increased use of lower-emission motor vehicles. An increase in active transportation is estimated to reduce 500 fatalities per million inhabitants in cities such as Delhi and London.
- Active Living Research has a research brief on the impact of infrastructure investments on bicycling for transportation and on related health outcomes.
- The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute's "Making the Case for Active Transportation" information bulletin summarizes the evidence on the health benefits of bicycling.
- Therapy bicycling programs have been shown to decrease depression in older adults.
- The health benefits of cycling outweigh the safety risks by a factor of 20 to one.
- One study found that cycling improves levels of well-being, self-confidence, and tolerance to stress while reducing tiredness, difficulties with sleep and a range of medical symptoms.
- The health benefit of a kilometer of cycling is valued at $1.
- 44% of American drivers believe traffic congestion increases their stress levels, 25% say it makes them feel more angry, 16% say it negatively affects work or school performance, and 11% say they it makes them get less sleep.
- Cyclists on average live two years longer than non-cyclists and take 15% fewer days off work through illness.
- The risk of fatality while cycling is just once every 32 million kilometers (20 million miles), or over 800 times around the world.
- An adult cyclist typically has a level of fitness equivalent to someone 10 years younger and a life expectancy two years above the average.
- Aerobic exercise [like bicycling] can have an antidepressant effect.
- Aerobic exercise [like bicycling] can improve self-esteem.
- A study of nearly 2,400 adults found that those who biked to work were fitter, leaner, less likely to be obese, and had better triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and insulin levels than those who didn't active commute to work.
- Active commuting that incorporates cycling and walking is associated with an overall 11% reduction in cardiovascular risk.
- Women who walk or bike 30+ minutes a day have a lower risk of breast cancer.
- A 30+ minute round trip bicycle commute is associated with better mental health in men.
- Of the 10 most common causes of death in the US, seven are affected by transportation.
- According to the federal government, biking for transportation can count toward the minimum 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity recommended for physical health. It is also listed as the safest way to get physical activity.
- Countries with the highest levels of cycling and walking generally have the lowest obesity rates.
- 82% of bicycle commuters believe their health has improved since they started bicycle commuting.
- 30-60 minutes of daily physical activity such as biking to work is associated with low blood pressure in women and low hypertension in both genders.
- After a bike and pedestrian lane was installed on a South Carolina bridge, 67% of users indicated that their activity levels had increased since the opening of the lane.
Bicycling for transportation vs. regular exercise
- In a study of 166 regular cyclists in Portland, Oregon, 60% cycled for at least 150 minutes/week (the federally recommended minimum activity level) and nearly all of the bicycling was for utilitarian purposes, not exercise. A disproportionate share of the bicycling occurred on streets with bicycle lanes, separate paths, or bicycle boulevards.
- Commuting physical activity, independent of leisure time physical activity, is associated with a healthier level of most of the cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides).
- In a study of more than 30,000 people, those who bicycled to work were 40% less likely to die during follow-up, regardless of how much physical activity they got outside of commuting.
- In a study of nearly 75,000 women, those who cycled for transportation were 35% less likely to die during the follow-up period.
- Leisure time physical activity alone may not be sufficient enough to prevent obesity; additional energy expenditure through activity like active transport is needed.
- Lifestyle physical activity [like biking for transportation] is as effective as a structured exercise program in improving physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and blood pressure in previously sedentary healthy adults.
- Commuter cycling at a relatively low intensity can increase physical performance (external power and oxygen uptake) as much as specific training programs in men and women if repeated at least 3 times a week with a minimal daily distance of 6 km.
- It costs three to four times more to enroll a sedentary adult in a structured exercise program than to teach them how to integrate moderate-intensity physical activity into their life [e.g. bicycling for transportation].
- 47% of U.S. workers say that work demands are preventing them from leading a healthier life.
How bicycling for transportation helps control weight
- Excess body weight may be responsible for more than 100,000 new cancer diagnoses each year in the U.S.
- In a study of 166 regular cyclists in Portland, Oregon, 60% cycled for at least 150 minutes/week (the federally recommended minimum activity level) and nearly all of the bicycling was for utilitarian purposes, not exercise. A disproportionate share of the bicycling occurred on streets with bicycle lanes, separate paths, or bicycle boulevards.
- A study of nearly 2,400 adults found that those who biked to work were fitter, leaner, less likely to be obese, and had better triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and insulin levels than those who didn't active commute to work.
- Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.
- Three-quarters of American adults will be overweight or obese by 2015.
- Men who cycle to work are significantly less likely to be overweight and obese (39.8%) than those who drive to work (60.8%).
- Bicycle commuting burns an average of 540 calories per hour.
- Each hour per day spent driving corresponds with a 6% increase in the odds of being obese.
- In California, the fattest counties are also where people drive the most.
- A one percent decrease in the use of automobiles can decrease obesity by 0.4%.
- In a study of nearly 9,000 middle-aged men, those who cycled or walked to work were leaner and less likely to gain weight than those who did not cycle or walk to work.
- Less than one third of Americans meet the CDC's requirements for minimal physical activity (30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5+ days/week).
- College students who use bicycles as transport accumulate more minutes of daily physical activity than students who use motorized means and are more likely to achieve public health recommendations of minimal physical activity (30 minutes/day).
- A study of over 2,000 workers concluded that physically active commuting to work is effective at improving physical fitness and raising HDL (good) cholesterol, and also that it can be successfully promoted by low cost measures.
- It takes more than a billion gallons of fuel to drive around the extra weight Americans have gained since 1960.
Why bicycling is good for kids
- Children who begin biking or walking to school at an early age (grade 1) are more likely to stay a healthy weight during their early school years.
- The more traffic surrounding a child's home, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese.
- For every 15-minute increase in daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a 12-year-old has, they have a 10% reduction in fat mass at age 14.
- Active Living Research has a research brief on how physical activity improves childrens' academic performance.
- The average U.S. child eats 165 calories more than they burn per day.
- Traffic congestion is linked to poor health in infants. Reductions in traffic congestion can reduce the incidence of prematurity and low birth weight among mothers who live within 2km of a road.
- Children who cycle to school have greater cardiorespiratory fitness that those who are get to school by car, bus, or walking.
- In a study of youth soccer players in Davis, California, over three-quarters of players and their parents drive to soccer games, with less than 20% biking, even though the average distance to the games was less than two miles. Soccer players who biked to school and whose parents regularly bicycled were significantly more likely to bike to the games.
- Almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese.
- For every hour a child sits during the day, they need three minutes longer to fall asleep at night. Short sleep duration is associated with obesity and lower cognitive performance.
- 70% of obese 10- to 13-year-olds become obese adults.
- In the U.S., 30% of boys and 40% of girls are at risk for being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
- 42% of high schoolers do not participate in any type of organized sports.
- Less than a third of high schoolers attend daily physical education classes. In 9th grade, 39% of students do; by 12th grade, only 18% do.
- Regular participation in vigorous physical activity dropped from 69% among 9th graders to 55% of 12th graders.
- Nearly two-thirds of children 9-13 do not participate in any organized physical activity outside of school, and 23% don't engage in any free-time physical activity at all.
- In the New York City school system, elementary and middle school students who placed in the top third of a fitness scale had better math and reading scores than students in the bottom third of the fitness scale. Those who were in the top 5% for fitness scored an average of 36 percentage points higher on state reading and math exams than did the least-fit 5%.
- Children who ride a bike two or more times a week are less likely to be overweight.
- Regular exercise reduces depression and improves self-esteem in overweight children.
- Adolescents who participate in bicycling, in-line skating, or skateboarding more than four times a week are 48% less likely to be overweight as adults.
- Overweight adolescents who participate in bicycling 3 to 4 days per week are 85% more likely to become normal-weight adults.
- Primary school-aged boys who cycle to school get more overall physical activity than those who are driven to school.
- Adolescents who bike or walk to school watch less TV and are less likely to smoke than their peers who are driven to school. They also get more overall physical activity.
- Youth who commute to school by motorized transport gain an average of 2-3 pounds per year more than those who actively commute to school.
- Youth who bike or walk to school have less excess weight and body fat than those who take a bus, car, or motorcycle.
- Adolescents who bike or walk to school are 30% more likely to bike or walk to other neighborhood destinations, regardless of age, free-time physical activity, and neighborhood risk.
- One in three U.S. public schools are located in air pollution danger zones, within a quarter-mile of a highway.
- Fourth grade boys who bike or walk to school have lower BMIs and body fat than non-active commuters. Kids who actively commute to school are also more likely to remain at a healthy weight.
- Youths who regularly bike or walk to leisure-time activities have better low back strength, low back extension, hip flexion, and exension than those who ride a school bus.
- Adolescents who bike or walk at least 8 km weekly to regular activities are less likely to suffer from lower back pain.
- Fifth-grade students who regularly bike or walk to school accumulate 3% more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per weekday, or about an additional 24 minutes/day.
- Kids who ride a school bus inhale up to a million times more vehicle emissions than the average person outside the bus.
- Active Living Research published this new research brief on active transportation, physical activity, and health among children
- For more research on bicycling and youth health, check out the Safe Routes to School National Partnership's Research site
Bicycling and lungs
- Despite the fact that cyclists breathe two to three times more air than motorists, motorists breathe about 60% more carbon monoxide and significantly more pollutants than cyclists.
- Urban cyclists are exposed to less accumulated air pollution than bus commuters.
- On the same urban route, car drivers were exposed to more airborne pollution than cyclists, despite the cyclists' higher respiration rates.
- Cycling and walking commuters have significantly lower levels of exposure to harmful pollutants like benzene compared with car commuters and significantly lower levels of pollutant NO2 than bus commuters.
- Kids who ride a school bus inhale up to a million times more vehicle emissions than the average person outside the bus.
- Cyclists are exposed to less pollution than taxi or bus passengers.
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