An active commute that involves exercise can reduce the number of sick days and lower the risk of long sickness absences. Commuting by bicycle in particular is associated with a lower risk of sickness absence. The message to employers is clear: it pays off to promote forms of commuting that involve exercise.
An article by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health on the link between active commuting and sickness absences was published in the scientific journal Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. The study was carried out as part of the COMMUTE project funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund and the Climate Nudge project funded by the Strategic Research Council.
“There is already research evidence on the health and environmental benefits of active commuting, but its connection to the risk of long sickness absences, for example, has not been studied at all before,” says Essi Kalliolahti, responsible author of the article and PhD researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the University of Eastern Finland.
“Now it is known that regular commuting by bicycle can reduce the risk of long periods of sickness absence and thus reduce the overall number of sickness absences,” Kalliolahti says.
Benefits related to mode of commuting require plenty of kilometres
The study investigated the connection between the commuting habits of municipal employees and their relative and absolute risk of sickness absence. The risk of sickness absence for those who did their commute on foot or by bicycle was compared to those who travelled passively, i.e. by car or public transport.
The most active commuters travelled more than 30 kilometres weekly and an average of 61 kilometres per week. The average one-way commute in this group was 9.4 kilometres, and the commute was more often done by bicycle than on foot. A high number of active weekly commuting kilometres was linked to a lower risk of sickness absence.
- Compared to passive commuters, the most active commuters had an 8–18 per cent lower risk of sickness absence days and long periods of sickness absence of at least ten days during the followup.
- When walking and cycling were studied separately, a lower risk of sickness absence was only found in the group of the most active commuter cyclists.
- On average, the most active commuters had 4.5 fewer sickness absence days per person-year than passive commuters.
- The most active employees had one fewer period of long sickness absence of at least ten days per ten person-years than passive commuters.
The study provides an additional reason to encourage active commuting
"Knowing that only half of the adult population exercises according to the recommendations, commuting on foot or by bike can be a useful way to increase health-promoting exercise," says Jenni Ervasti, Chief Researcher for the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. According to the Healthy Finland survey by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, less than one fifth of working-age people commute to work or studies on foot or by bike all year round.
According to previous research, an active commuting method is also good for at least physical health. These low-emission commuting practices also have environmental benefits. Many municipalities, for example, have defined emission reduction and carbon neutrality as strategic goals.
“The results of the study provide additional reasons to encourage and invest in an active commuting style, and especially commuting by bike,” Ervasti emphasises.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release
For furher information, please contact:
Essi Kalliolahti, Doctoral Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University of Eastern Finland, tel. +358 50 304 7821, essi.kalliolahti@ttl.fi
Jenni Ervasti, Chied Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, tel. +358 43 825 5475, jenni.ervasti@ttl.fi
Research article:
Kalliolahti, E., Gluschkoff, K., Lanki, T., Halonen, J.I., Salo, P., Oksanen, T. and Ervasti, J. (2024), Associations Between Active Commuting and Sickness Absence in Finnish Public Sector Cohort of 28 485 Employees. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 34: e70001. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70001
