Less than a fifth of working-age adults commute by foot or bike all year round
When it comes to walking or cycling to work or place of study, 19% of women and 15% of men living in Finland maintain a physically active commute all year round, reveals the Healthy Finland Survey conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). A physically active commute refers to walking or cycling the entire way, or walking or cycling more than one kilometre combined with taking public transport.
According to the survey, most working-age adults do not get any physical activity on their commute to work or place of study. Clearly more than half commute by car.
Physical activity on commutes to work and study is most common among young adults. When looking at education level, a physically active commute is the rarest among men with a low level of education.
Physically active and sustainable modes of transport should be favoured to promote good health and reduce environmental load.
“Regular physical activity promotes good health and well-being and supports work ability. Getting some exercise on your way to work or class increases your level of overall physical activity during the day, which can also be beneficial from the employer’s point of view”, says Research Manager Jouni Lahti.
THL is also involved in the Strategic Research Council’s Climate Nudge consortium project, which conducted a study revealing that physically active commuting can reduce the number of sickness absences. According to a study carried out by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, employees who walked or cycled on average 61 kilometres a week had an 8–12% lower risk of sick leave days in general and an 18% lower risk of long sickness absences compared to people commuting in a physically passive way. In addition, the average number of sick leave days per person-year was 4.5 lower for the most active commuters than for passive commuters.
“In the study, the benefits were particularly prominent for people cycling to work because they were more likely to accumulate more kilometres than people who walked,” says Chief Researcher Jaana Halonen.
Urban structure needs to facilitate walking and cycling in all seasons
According to the Healthy Finland Survey, physically active commuting to work and study is most common in the summer. In summer, 28% of women and 22% of men mainly get to work or their place of study by walking or cycling. In winter, the percentage of physically active commuting decreases by almost ten percentage points.
Physically active and sustainable mobility can be supported by developing urban structures that favour walking and cycling, by strengthening public transport and by ensuring good upkeep of pedestrian and cycling routes also in winter.
Employers and educational institutions can also promote active mobility in different ways. For example, they can offer bicycle parking and changing rooms, and employers can also offer employee bicycle benefits and flexible working hours.
Source:
Essi Kalliolahti, Kia Gluschkoff, Timo Lanki, Jaana I. Halonen, Paula Salo, Tuula Oksanen, Jenni Ervasti. Associations Between Active Commuting and Sickness Absence in Finnish Public Sector Cohort of 28 485 Employees. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2024; 34:e70001.
Further reading:
More information:
Jouni Lahti
Research Manager, Docent
THL
tel. +358 29 524 7226
[email protected]
Jaana Halonen
Chief Researcher
THL
tel. +358 29 524 6100
[email protected]
