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Subscribe to RSSA new study finds that long commutes could have a negative impact on your health. WCAU's Dawn Timmeney reports.
By Bill Briggs
Sure, speed kills. But new science suggests your sluggish slog from home to work (and back again) is slowly sucking the life out of you -- exit by excruciating exit.
Commuters who log 16 or more miles each way on their daily haul to the job tend to pack plumper paunches and post higher blood pressure when compared to those with shorter excursions, according to the first research exploring the intersection of travel distances and health impacts.
Clogged roads seem to clog arteries, in part, by eating into potential gym minutes. Among folks who drive 16-plus miles to earn a paycheck, the prevalence of obesity is almost 9 percent higher while the rate of fitness is nearly 9 percent lower versus those who journey six to 10 miles, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (Those numbers are not adjusted for age or gender).
“Part of it is that people with longer commutes aren’t exercising as much. But there could be other factors like they’re eating (fast food) while driving or they’re getting less sleep because they don’t have as much discretionary time,” said Christine M. Hoehner, the study’s lead investigator and an assistant professor in the department of surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
By mapping the daily drives and dissecting the health scores of 4,297 residents from two Texas metro areas, Dallas and Austin, Hoehner and her colleagues distilled the mile-by-mile health hazards linked to sitting behind the wheel.
Take, for example, Body Mass Index -- a calculation of stored fat based on height and weight. (A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal). For every 10-mile increase in your driving distance, your BMI rises by .17 units, Hoehner said. So if you’re already on the cusp of an unhealthy BMI -- say at 24.5 -- adding 15 miles to your foray -- each way -- will nudge you into the danger zone.
The daily drive has taken a toll on Sharon Binford, part of the marketing and development team at an online office supply retailer. She has a roughly 30-mile commute to and from her home in White Plains, N.Y., and her office in Manhattan, spanning 1 hour and 20 minutes each way.
“I am more tired, so I think my mood and activity level have been affected” by the daily trek, said Binford, 25. Before she got her current job, she didn’t drive to work.
“Before, I would have avocados and tomato, or strawberry and yogurt, or eggs-and-bacon breakfasts. Now, I eat cereal in the mornings -- Special K Red Berries, but it’s still all carbs instead of almost none,” Binford said. “I used to spend about an hour running three times a week. Now, I try to occasionally squeeze in a half-hour run during my hour lunch break.”
Americans are, indeed, spending slightly more time collectively navigating to and from their jobs. In 2010, 8 percent of U.S. workers had one-way commutes of one hour or more -- up from 7.8 percent in 2009, said Brian McKenzie, a commuting analyst at the U.S. Census Bureau.
But the true traffic terrors are, of course, found on the local levels, especially in cities where far-flung suburbs offer more affordable housing. According to INRIX, a traffic information provider that ranks the worst municipal commutes, the most congested cities in 2010 were, in order, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. then Dallas/Fort Worth -- where Hoehner conducted much of her study.
And, hardly shocking to any fuming driver who routinely winces at an agonizing line of brake lights, Hoehner found that longer commutes are more likely to fuel stress levels.
“It’s about the chronic stress: daily exposure to traffic, the hassles of not being able to predict when you’ll arrive, and having no control over your time because of that traffic,” Hoehner said.
About one-third of the commuters Hoehner analyzed notched 16 or more miles getting to work. The prevalence of elevated blood pressure in that group was about 52 percent. Meanwhile, slightly more than half the drivers studied needed 10 miles or less to reach their jobsite or office. The rate of high blood pressure in that portion: about 45 percent.
So, honk if you hate the guy driving one car ahead -- and the other 500 beyond. They’re killing you.
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A Siberian husky named Shiro and her owner have a bonding ritual of hand-and-paw holding during their daily commute; in fact, Shiro whimpers when she's not holding his hand. TODAY's Natalie Morales takes a look at the adorable video.
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Pretty silly study where was it done? WVA? Houston?
I commute 40 miles one way daily and my BMI is 18----The biggest trick is stay hydrated (water) and skip those golden arches.
One last thing----when not commuting get up and MOVE around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to commute 26 miles each way daily, in the NYC metropolitan area, and "rush" hour traffic was a nightmare. By the time I got to work, I was already hating most of the planet, but I calmed down quickly once actual work began. The trip home was equally bad, and when I got home, a beer or cocktail was a good start, with maybe a snack. Or two. Needless to say, I put on some weight. And my stress levels were not healthy. All you needed to put me over the top was some rain, or some snow, and the usual idiots who do not know how to drive safely in those conditions, whether it be too fast, too slow, or too recklessly.
When I used public transportation, in a prior job, and commuted to NYC each day for about an hour and a half each way, and that was on a good day, I was never stressed out from the commute on either end, because I was not driving anything, and could relax with a newspaper or magazine, or maybe catch a quick snooze. I had no problems maintaining my weight then, but only when driving. There's a lot to be said for public transportation, especially when the weather is really bad. Yes, it probably takes longer than driving, most of the time, but I could never do a daily drive to NYC during the rush hour on a continuing basis. Having occasionally done that driving commute for a 9:30 AM medical appointment, it's no surprise that my blood pressure was a little higher than it usually is. Then throw in the $30-$40 parking fees, and it's a real day-maker. Top that off with a late afternoon commute on the northbound FDR drive because the testing took so long, and it amazes me that there aren't daily road rage shootings there.
I received a nice inheretence so, fortunately, I have no commute. Sounds pretty awful, hope you all find a way to cope!
I live about 15 miles north of Boston, and work in Boston. I take the commuter rail - it's only about 30 minutes, plus the drive to the station (5 minutes), and shuttle to work when I get to Boston (10 minutes). I would NEVER even THINK of driving into Boston! I think in order to solve the commuting problem, we have to come to a time where we all park outside the city, and go in by train or bus. And, we have to have car-pooling. Every car I see has only one person in it. No wonder it's an awful commute for people. I would never bother with it.
It depends on what your commute is like.....I used to commute on the interstate with no stop and go traffic, and that was not bad. But when I moved and had to commute thru congested areas (milage was the same) it became so much more stressful AND takes way longer. When you are a busy person/parent and have so little extra time, all that time you lose in your car causes more stress. I would give anything to have the option of a train....but I live in RURAL Pennsylvania and the traffic is so bad you wouldn't believe it! I had better commutes when I lived in a city! I totally believe that it has a negative impact on your health.
I don't think it's the weight thing for me, yes I'm a bigger girl, but I'm so tired of commuting. I would like to get involved in my own community. I miss it but can't make the time commitment with commuting 40 minutes each way. I would love to go home and let my dogs out at lunch, have time with my hubby rather than feel rushed in the morning and rushed at night to get everything in.
Oh and to sleep in later than 4:30 a.m. I go to the gym at 5 to get in an hour work out. Then I'm racing to get out the door in the morning. How great to be able to actually sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee rather than one on the fly!!!!! *sighs and starts again to look for jobs in the hometown*
I love my commute. I listen to recorded books or satelite radio (comedy channels or old-time radio). I also plan my day at work (on the way to) and plan what I'm going to cook for supper and what I'm going to do with my evening (on the way from). There is also a hiking trail in the middle of my commute and I keep sneakers in my car so I can (and do) hike every evening on the way home. It's great.
I used to drive 50.4 miles each way for two years. I put an inordinate amount of miles on my old car, amazingly never had any flats, or breakdowns at over 200k miles, and even without any traffic whatsoever down here in the low country it took an hour to drive each way. I definitely do not miss those days, and I like to drive!
Sure, there are ways to deal with it and make it sort of fun (satellite radio is a must, keeping a clean car is a biggie for the morale, don't talk on the phone in the morning, and do try not to be late like I usually was!).
Even though you can learn to deal with it just fine, your quality of life is much better if you can find a way to shorten the distance between work and home. When I moved to Atlanta my office was only seven miles from my house, and I lived and worked outside of I-285, so there was no traffic to deal with and I had two additional hours of home time every day!
I will never understand why many employers won't allow their employees to work from home. I, for example, am more than capable of working from home, but one of the supervisors won't allow it. He believes we should all be physically in the office. I travel an hour each way and the commute has worn on me. This article points out what could happen if you commute to far. Well, it's common sense, isn't it? Many people don't get enough sleep so they sleep in as much as they can, which doesn't give them enough time to eat a healthy breakfast BEFORE getting in the car. Then, heading home...ugh. Sometimes it can take me 2 hours to drive 35 miles. To me, that just seems like a waste of my precious life. If far commutes causes health issues, then why aren't employers making it easier for their employees? A lot of it has to do with trust. I know of co-workers who say they are working from home, but come to find out they're out shopping. Of course, that hurts the rest of us who are honest and actually work. I live in a city that doesn't have a high-speed rail system and it's frustrating. Either get a rail in or let us work from home!!!
At home there can be distractions. People with young children might be tempted to multitask and skip out on daycare, which means they will be constantly distracted. It's also easy to sleep in, take long breaks, get around to things when you feel like it, etc. when you're at home. It would be difficult to separate the disciplined, structured employees who can pull it off from those whose productivity might decline. As a compromise, some workplaces are switching to longer and fewer days, so you only have to commute 3-4 times instead of 5. Others shuttle their employees in themselves... this is highly popular at Fort McMurray (Canada), where most people live a considerable difference from the company.
I would think that traffic conditions and travel time would matter more than distance. I had a 30-mile commute with my last job, but it was all rural highway with very light traffic, which I could vary with back roads if I wanted. It was actually pretty relaxing, but I could easily see how a shorter commute with a lot of traffic would be really stressful, even if it took the same amount of time.
You know what's even worse for your health? Not commuting to work and earning money resulting in starving from a lack of food. That's worse.
I drive 33 miles each way and it definitely takes a toll on my body and my mood, not to mention my wallet with gas prices, tolls and wear/tear on the car. Besides the fact that I feel super guilty that I'm not spending more time with my kids. On the other hand, in this economy, I'm grateful to have a job even if I have to drive a little further for it. It's like with anything else in life... you gotta take the bad with the good!
I commute 20 kilometres to my university every day, which works out to about an hour on the bus each way, or 2+ hours of commuting. I generally spend at least 10 hours at the university, usually 12-13, which means I am out of my house for about 15-16 hours. I don't drive, and it's a good thing, because those long commutes while tired would not be smart. I relax on the bus, sometimes catch up with a friend, read, study, listen to music...on occasion, I've even watched the latest episode of House on my ipod. Do I wish I lived a half-hour walk from the University? Yes, absolutely...but this is where my program is, and I need to live at home so that I can teach my Music for Young Children classes, so this is what has to happen.
I use public transportation to and from work. It is a nightmare. The MBTA here in Boston doesn't run on time on a regular basis. Then there's the switching, disabled train issues. I do not feel like doing anything when I get home at night. I have been sitting on a bus that may have been late and am now having some down time. By the time we finish with dinner and clean up who wants to go work out???? I have put on weight and the stress of making the connections between busses and trains is an ongoing situation. I would rather drive and be in traffic then at the mercy of public transportation. I just can't drive into the city. The crazy drivers, cabbies and cost to park are ridiculous.
I commuted 90 miles roundtrip for work for two years. It wore me out physically and mentally. I arrived at work feeling like I had already worked several hours. I got home each night very fatigued, with no energy to exercise or enjoy life. It was eat and go to bed early so I could get an early start on the long commute. I gained weight and my blood pressure went up. Leaving that stressful routine was the best thing I did.
I'm interviewing for a job where my commute will be about 25 miles one way, 20 of it on the freeway, but it's a fairly decent stretch of road with very little commuters and the best I can hope for. Just people traveling from Detroit/Canada mainly. Most of the jobs in my field that have had openings have been near or in Detroit, which is an hour away in good traffic. As I-94 is never good traffic during the day, I've been seriously dragging my feet on applying. Librarians don't get paid well in the first place so the stress and extra cost of a commute that long doesn't seem worth it me.
I commute 57 miles each way in the Phoenix area but break it up by stopping off at the gym and find that it is a great way of staying in shape while resetting the stress clock on the body.
I quite a job after realizing that I was becoming more and more miserable due to my hour and a half drive each way every day. It was absurd, especially considering that not one customer is anywhere near the office and our primary form of communication, even with co-workers, was IM. We all had to drive down to a central office and then be real quiet and type... Some companies are full of dolts. I was so happy to leave them.
That research is a bunch of crap. What about people who drive for pleasure? Do they blimp up too? Most of our society become fat because of our life stylies. One of the reasons is that we don't move around much. Looking at this issue through the prism of sitting in the car without movement, it sounds like this research was brilliant, but in fact the distance quoted in the article and the reason for driving and consequently getting fat is just rediculous.
My commute, when I did it non stop for 3 years in a row, was 140 miles round trip daily, After 3 years, I found an inespensive place to sleep (not live, just sleep) 3 days a week. When I stay, I go out and have a good time. On the days I don't stay, I drive it. I also try to work out at the gym on a daily basis, I try to eat right and still have fun. I guess commuting is like anything else. You can let it run your life or you can manage it. I don't always like it but I make it work for me the best I can. Unless there is something I can not see, I am in pretty good health for may age (60) and every week seems like a month because I pack so much into it: work, gym, dance, chores, family, friends....If it is afftecting your life on a continually negative basis, you need to figure out how to stop doing it or to make it work for you....Losing your health is not worth it..
The issue I have with this study is that it appears to only be looking at commuters who drive.
I don't have that option. I need to walk to my local train station then switch to a different line altogether to get to work. This takes almost three hours assuming that all the connections are made and there are no delays in service.
Some will argue that since I'm not driving, my stress level should be lower, but being trapped in a train (if I'm lucky enough to score a seat) for that long is wearying all on it's own.