About
The beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes are well understood. Among Western populations however, lifestyles have become increasingly sedentary. Active commuting (AC) (walking/cycling for some/all of the journey between home and work) is recommended by NICE as a way of incorporating greater levels of physical activity into daily life. However, while current evidence generally suggests an association between AC and good health, the strength of this evidence is varied and the nature of the relationship remains unclear.
This project will take a systematic, sequential approach to exploring the impact of AC on CVD. The outcomes can be split into 3 categories, reflecting their position on the causal pathway: (i) Biological antecedents of CVD (anthropometric measures including BMI and blood pressure); (ii) Diagnosed CVD conditions (hospital in-patient data, and primary care data to be requested when available); (iii) CVD mortality (death registry).
Publications:
Flint E, Webb E, Cummins S. Change in commute mode and body mass index: prospective longitudinal evidence from UK Biobank. The Lancet Public Health 2016; 1(2):e46-e55 http://thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(16)30006-8/fulltext
Flint E, Cummins S (2016) Active commuting and obesity in mid-life: cross-sectional, observational evidence from UK Biobank, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Volume 4, Issue 5, May 2016, Pages 420-435, ISSN 2213-8587, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(16)00053-X. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221385871600053X)
