Filed under: Etc., Green Daily

To follow up on our recent article titled "Overweight and overfueled - fat America uses more gas" we thought we'd offer some additional information that's relevant to the topic. A recent study conducted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) suggests that U.S. drivers may be overweight partially due to factors beyond their immediate control. The APTA study found that:

People who live in communities with high-quality public transportation drive less, exercise more, live longer, and are generally healthier than residents of communities that lack quality public transit.

How does public transportation directly effect your health? Well, according to APTA president William Millar:

Public transportation enhances the overall quality of life of an individual and a community. Use of public transit simply means that you walk more which increases fitness levels and leads to healthier citizens. More importantly, increasing use of public transit may be the most effective traffic safety counter measure a community can employ.

But the causal relationship between public transportation and health does not end there. A recent report compiled by Trust for America's Health and the U.S. Census Bureau concludes that "driving is why you're fat." In a roundabout way, the report suggests that states with a higher percentage of people who commute via bike, public transportation or by walking, are indeed much less likely to report a high rate of obesity. In fact, this online transparency, put together by Good.is, shows the causal relationship between means of transportation and each state's reported obesity rate. After glancing over the graphic, maybe you'll want to join the majority of the U.S. by demanding better public transportation. Hit the jump for more info from the APTA and click here (PDF) to read its recently published study titled "Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits."

[Source: Good.is, Trust for America's Health, American Public Transportation Association | Image: tyger_lyllie C.C. License 2.0]

Continue reading Does driving make you fat? Can public transportation, biking and walking keep you skinny?

Does driving make you fat? Can public transportation, biking and walking keep you skinny? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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