Active Transportation Benefits Health: Walk to Run Errands

Reader Contribution by Kelsey Mcclelland
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I live about a half-mile from two gas stations, two miles from Hy-Vee and Walmart, and less than two miles from the mall. These businesses are well within walking distance, but I don’t walk to any of them – I drive. This may seem surprising, but many Americans practice the same habit.

According to the 2010 “National Bicycle and Walking Study” by the U.S. Department of Transportation, 72 percent of trips that are less than three miles in length are made by vehicle. Short distances can be easily traversed by foot rather than by car, but only a quarter of Americans are choosing walking or biking as their means of transportation. 

A December 2012 study by Gregg L. Furie, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, says that about 25 percent of Americans participate in active transportation. Active transportation is defined as human-powered transportation, such as walking or biking. The results of the study showed that those who participated in active transportation had a lower BMI, lower waist circumference, and lower odds of developing hypertension and diabetes.

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