Background
Prolonged sitting, including time spent sitting in cars, is detrimentally associated
with health outcomes.
Purpose
This study examined whether commuting by car was associated with adults' weight gain
over 4 years.
Methods
Among 822 adult residents of Adelaide, Australia, weight change was ascertained from
self-reported weight at baseline (2003–2004) and at follow-up (2007–2008). Using time
spent for car commuting and work status at baseline, participants were categorized
as non–car commuters, occasional car commuters, and daily car commuters. Multilevel
linear regression (conducted in 2012) examined associations of weight change with
car-commuting category, adjusting for potential confounding variables, for the whole
sample, and among those who were physically inactive or active (≥150 minutes/week)
in their leisure time.
Results
For the overall sample, adjusted mean weight gain (95% CI) over 4 years was 1.26 (0.64,
1.89) kg for non–car commuters; 1.53 (0.69, 2.37) kg for occasional car commuters;
and 2.18 (1.44, 2.92) kg for daily car commuters (p for trend=0.090). Stratified analyses found a stronger association for those with
sufficient leisure-time physical activity. For non–car commuters with sufficient leisure-time
physical activity, the adjusted mean weight gain was 0.46 (−0.43, 1.35) kg, which
was not significantly greater than 0.
Conclusions
Over 4 years, those who used cars daily for commuting tended to gain more weight than
those who did not commute by car. This relationship was pronounced among those who
were physically active during leisure time. Reducing sedentary time may prevent weight
gain among physically active adults.
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© 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
