Rouxel, P;
Webb, E;
Chandola, T;
(2017)
Does public transport use prevent declines in walking speed among older adults living in England? A prospective cohort study.
BMJ Open
, 7
(9)
, Article e017702. 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017702.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Although there is some evidence that public transport use confers public health benefits, the evidence is limited by cross-sectional study designs and health-related confounding factors. This study examines the effect of public transport use on changes in walking speed among older adults living in England, comparing frequent users of public transport to their peers who did not use public transport because of structural barriers (poor public transport infrastructure) or through choice. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: England, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults aged ≥60 years eligible for the walking speed test. 6246 individuals at wave 2 (2004-2005); 5909 individuals at wave 3 (2006-2007); 7321 individuals at wave 4 (2008-2009); 7535 individuals at wave 5 (2010-2011) and 7664 individuals at wave 6 (2012-2013) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The walking speed was estimated from the time taken to walk 2.4 m. Fixed effects models and growth curve models were used to examine the associations between public transport use and walking speed. RESULTS: Older adults who did not use public transport through choice or because of structural reasons had slower walking speeds (-0.02 m/s (95% CI -0.03 to -0.003) and -0.02 m/s (95% CI -0.03 to -0.01), respectively) and took an extra 0.07 s to walk 2.4 m compared with their peers who used public transport frequently. The age-related trajectories of decline in walking speed were slower for frequent users of public transport compared with non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent use of public transport may prevent age-related decline in physical capability by promoting physical activity and lower limb muscle strength among older adults. The association between public transport use and slower decline in walking speed among older adults is unlikely to be confounded by health-related selection factors. Improving access to good quality public transport could improve the health of older adults.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Does public transport use prevent declines in walking speed among older adults living in England? A prospective cohort study |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017702 |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017702 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Ageing, Physical Activity, Public Transport, Walking Speed |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10022811 |
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