MassBike "Bicycling and Health" Fact Sheet

• A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat in a year. ( The British United Provident Association: http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/healthy_living/lifestyle/exercise/cycling/cycling_health.html)

• 64% of adults and over 15% of kids are overweight today, resulting in 300,000 premature deaths and a cost to society of $117 billion a year. More than 50% of U.S. adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits: 26% are not active at all in their leisure time. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Overweight and Obesity FAQ: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/faq.htm, and Physical Activity and Good Nutrition: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_dnpa.htm )

• Inactivity is a factor in 10% of total deaths and 25% of chronic disease related deaths. (League of American Bicyclists: http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/factsheets/commutepublichealth.htm)

• One reason for Americans' sedentary lifestyle is that "walking and cycling have been replaced by automobile travel for all but the shortest distances." (CDC: October 27, 1999 issue of the JAMA)

• On 350 calories — one apple tart — a cyclist can travel 10 miles, a pedestrian 3.5 miles, and an automobile 100 feet. (Transportation Alternatives: http://www.transalt.org/blueprint/chapter1/chapter1g.html)

• For every extra 30 minutes commuters drive each day, they have a 3 percent greater chance of being obese than their peers who drive less. How much time a person spends driving has a greater impact on whether a person is obese than other factors such as income, education, gender or ethnicity. (“Obesity Relationships with Community Design, Physical Activity, and Time Spent in Cars,” Frank LD, Andresen MA, Schmid TL. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2004 Aug;27(2):87-96.: http://www.scarp.ubc.ca/faculty%20profiles/frank-paper.pdf )

• Even though cyclists breathe two to three times as much air as motorists during the same trip, motorists actually breathe in about 60% more carbon monoxide—and significantly higher levels of other air pollutants—due to being enclosed in their vehicle. Cyclists also benefit from the physical exercise, increasing their resistance to air pollution. (“ The exposure of cyclist, car drivers and pedestrians to traffic-related air pollutants,” Van Wijen, Verhoeff, Henk, Van Bruggen. Environmental Health 67 pp 187-193: http://europe.eu.int/comm/environment/cycling/cycling_en.htm)

Compiled by Sarah Hencke