Physical activity and health
This page lists research on the benefits of walking and cycling for reducing the risk of obesity and many chronic diseases and improving mental health and well-being. Use the links below to go straight to that area of interest:
- Obesity & overweight
- Cancer
- Other non-communicable disease
- Older people/cognitive function
- Men/women's health
- Transport policy
- Children
Obesity & overweight
Recommended papers
Means of transportation to work and overweight and obesity: A population-based study in southern Sweden
M Lindstrom
Preventive Medicine 46;1 (2008) 22-28
Physical activity and obesity
K R Fox et al.
Obesity Reviews 8 (Supp/1) (2006) 115-121
Inverse associations between cycling to work, public transport and overweight and obesity: Findings from a population based study in Australia
Ming Wen & Rissel
Preventive Medicine 46 (2008) 29-32
Other key papers
Physical activity and obesity prevention
Wareham, N.
Obesity Reviews 8 (Supp/1) (2006) 109-114
The link between obesity and the built environment. Evidence from an ecological analysis of obesity and vehicle miles of travel in California
Javier Lopez-Zetina et al.
Health and Place 12;4 (2006) 656-664
Driving to work and overweight and obesity: findings from the 2003 New South Wales Health Survey, Australia
LM Wen et al.
International Journal of Obesity 30 (2006) 782-786
Exercise-based transportation reduces oil dependence, carbon emissions and obesity
P A T Higgins
Environmental Conservation 32;3 (2005) 197-202
Associations among active transportation, physical activity, and weight status in young adults
Penny Gordon-Larsen et al.
Obesity Research 13 (2005) 868-875
Obesity in middle age and future risk of dementia: a 27 year longitudinal population based study
Rachel A Whitmer et al.
British Medical Journal 330 (2005) Page 1360
The relationship among physical activity, obesity, and physical function in community-dwelling older women
Jennifer S. Brach et al.
Preventive Medicine, 39;1 (2004) 74-80
The road to obesity or the path to prevention: motorized transporation and obesity in China
A C Bell et al.
Obesity Research 10;4 (2002) 277-283
Cancer
Recommended papers
American Cancer Society guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention: reducing the risk of cancer with healthy food choices and physical activity
Lawrence H. Kushi et al.
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 56;5 (2006) 254-281
Causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk factor assessment of nine behavioural and environmental risk factors
G Danaei et al.
The Lancet 366;9499 (2005) 1784-1793
Other key papers
Physical activity and breast cancer risk among women in the southwestern United States
M L Slattery et al.
Annals of Epidemiology 17;5 (2007) 342-353
Benefits of supervised group exercise programme for women being treated for early stage breast cancer: pragmatic randomised control trial
Nanette Mutrie et al.
BMJ 334;517 (2007)
Physical activity and risk of colon and rectal cancers: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
C Friedenreich et al.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 15 (2006) 2398-2407
Recreational physical activity and sedentary behaviour in relation to ovarian cancer risk in a large cohort of US women
A V Patel et al.
American Journal of Epidemiology 163;8 (2006)
Effect of physical activity on women at increased risk of breast cancer: Results from the E3N cohort study
B Tehard et al.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 15;1 (2006) 57-64
Energy balance and breast cancer risk
Alecia Malin et al.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 14 (2005) 1496-1501
Physical activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis
Michelle D. Holmes et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association 293;20 (2005)
Physical activity and the risk of ovarian cancer: A case-control study in Canada
Sai Yi Pan et al.
International Journal of Cancer 117;2 (2005) 300-307
A prospective study of physical activity and incident and fatal prostate cancer
Edward L. Giovannucci et al.
Archives of Internal Medicine 165;9 (2005) 1005-1010
Physical activity and risk of endometrial cancer: a report from the Shanghai Endometrial Cancer Study
Charles E. Matthews et al.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 14 (2005) 779-785
Commuting physical activity and risk of colon cancer in Shanghai, China
L Hou et al.
American Journal of Epidemiology 160;9 (2004) 860-867
Recreational physical activity and the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative cohort study
A McTiernan et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association 20;10 (2003) 1331-1336
Other non-communicable disease (CHD, diabetes, stroke, mental illness)
NEW - Walking and primary prevention: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
M Hamer et al
British Journal of Sports Medicine 42 (2008) 236-243
Recommended papers
Occupational, commuting and leisure-time physical activity in relation to coronary heart disease among middle-aged Finnish men and women
G Hu et al.
Atherosclerosis 194 (2007) 490-497
Physical activity and public health. Updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association
W L Haskell et al.
Circulation - Journal of the American Heart Association (August 1 2007)
Other key papers
Relationship between physical activity and stiff or painful joints in mid-aged women and older women: a 3-year prospective study
K C Heesh et al.
Arthritis Research and Therapy (2007) 9:R34
Effect of exposure to traffic on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age: a cohort study
W James Gauderman et al.
The Lancet (2007) Feb 17;369(9561):571-7
Green exercise in the UK countryside: effects on health and psychological well-being, and implications for policy and planning
J. Pretty et al.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 50;2 (2007) 211-231
The burden of physical activity-related ill health in the UK
S. Allender et al.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 61 (2007) 344-348
Walking decreased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in older adults with diabetes
T C Smith et al.
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 60 (2007) 309-317
Primary care staff's views and experiences related to routinely advising patients about physical activity. A questionnaire survey
Flora CG Douglas et al.
BMC Public Health 6;138 (2006)
Regular physical activity reduces hospital admission and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a population based cohort study
J Garcia-Aymerich et al.
Thorax 61 (2006) 772-778
Physical activity in men and women with arthritis
Margaret Shih et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine 30;5 (2006) 385-393
Physical activity and diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
J Hsia et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28;1 (2005)
Make your diabetic patients walk - long-term impact of different amounts of physical activity on type 2 diabetes
C D Loreto et al.
Diabetes Care 28 (2005) 1295-1302
Physical activity, cardiovascular risk factors, and mortality among Finnish adults with diabetes
Gang Hu et al.
Diabetes Care 28;4 (2005) 799-805
Prospective study of physical activity and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women
W J Brown et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine 29;4 (2005)
Exposure to traffic and the onset of myocardial infarction
A Peters et al.
Journal of Medicine 351 (2004) 1721-1730
The Finnish diabetes prevention study (DPS): lifestyle intervention and 3-Year Results on diet and physical activity
J Lindstrom et al.
Diabetes Care 26;12 (2003) 3230-3236
Physical activity and risk of stroke in women
F Hu et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association 283;22 (2000) 2961-7
Older people/cognitive function
Also see our information sheet Active travel and healthy ageing for a review of research on the benefits of physical activity throughout the life course.
NEW - Physical activity and cognitive health
MK Jedrziewskia et al
Alzheimer's & Dementia 3 (2007) 98-108
Recommended papers
Neighbourhood design and active aging
Y L Michael et al.
Health and Place, December 2006, Volume 12, Issue 4, pages 734-740
Mediterranean diet, lifestyle factors, and 10-year mortality in elderly European men and women
Kim T. B. Knoops et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, September 2004, Volume 292, Pages 1433-1439
Other key papers
Physical activity prevented functional decline among frail community-living elderly subjects in an international observational study
Landi F et al.
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, May 2007, Volume 60(5), Pages 518-24
Walking decreased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in older adults with diabetes
T C Smith et al.
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (2007), Volume 60, Pages 309-317
Exercise is associated with reduced risk for incident dementia among persons 65 years of age and older
Eric B Larson et al.
Annals of Internal Medicine, January 2006, Volume 144, Number 2, pages 73-81
Physical activity patterns assessed by accelerometry in older people
Davis MG et al.
European Journal of Applied Physiology, October 2006, Epub.
Midlife physical activity and mobility in older age - the InCHIANTI study
Kushang V. Patel et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, September 2006, Volume 31, Issue 3, pages 217-224
Older people's health, outdoor activity and supportiveness of neighbourhood environments
T Sugiyama et al.
Landscape and Urban Planning (2006), doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.04.002
Daily activity energy expenditure and mortality among older adults
Todd M. Manini et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, July 2006, Volume 296, Number 2, pages 171-179
Leisure-time physical activity at midlife and the risk of dementia and alzheimer's disease
Suvi Rovio et al.
The Lancet Neurology, November 2005, Volume 4, Number 11, Pages 705-711
Exercise and risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome in older adults
K J Stewart et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, January 2005, Volume 28, Issue 1, Pages 9-18
Obesity in middle age and future risk of dementia: a 27 year longitudinal population based study
Rachel A Whitmer et al.
British Medical Journal, June 2005, Volume 330, Page 1360
Walking protects elderly people from dementia, studies show
J H Tanne
British Medical Journal, September 2004, Volume 329, page 761
The relationship among physical activity, obesity, and physical function in community-dwelling older women
Jennifer S. Brach et al.
Preventive Medicine, July 2004, Volume 39, Issue 1, Pages 74-80
Walking and dementia in physically capable elderly men
Robert D. Abbott et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 292, September 2004, pages 1447-1453
Physical activity, including walking, and cognitive function in older women
Jennifer Weuve et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, September 2004, Volume 292, Pages 1454-1461
Men/women's health
See our information sheet Active travel and women's health for a review of research on the benefits of physical activity for women.
NEW - Randomized trial of exercise in sedentary middle aged women: effects on quality of life
DJ Bown et al
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 3;34 (2006)
Recommended papers
Updating the evidence on physical activity and health in women
W J Brown et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2007), Volume 33, Issue 5, Pages 404-411
Prospective study of physical activity and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women
W J Brown et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2005, Volume 29(4)
Other key papers
Physical activity and breast cancer risk among women in the southwestern United States
M L Slattery et al.
Annals of Epidemiology, Volume 17, Issue 5 (2007), Pages 342-353
Promotion of physical activity in low-income mothers using pedometers
K Clarke et al.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 107, Issue 6, June 2007, Pages 962-967
Benefits of supervised group exercise programme for women being treated for early stage breast cancer: pragmatic randomised control trial
Nanette Mutrie et al.
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39094.648553.AE (February 2007)
Randomized trial of physical activity in sedentary middle aged women: effects on quality of life
Deborah J. Bowen et al.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, October 2006, Volume 3, Issue 34
Recreational physical activity and sedentary behaviour in relation to ovarian cancer risk in a large cohort of US women
A V Patel et al.
American Journal of Epidemiology, April 2006, Volume 163, Number 8, pages 709-716
Effect of physical activity on women at increased risk of breast cancer: results from the E3N cohort study
B Tehard et al.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, January 2006, Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 57-64
Walking and dementia in physically capable elderly men
Robert D. Abbott et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 292, September 2004, pages 1447-1453
Physical activity, including walking, and cognitive function in older women
J Weuve et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 292, September 2004, pages 1454-1461
Associations of muscle strength and fitness with metabolic syndrome in men
R Jurca et al.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Volume 36, Number 8, August 2004, pages 1301-1307
Recreational physical activity and the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: The Women's Health Initiative cohort study
A McTiernan et al.
Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 290, Number 10, September 2003, pages 1331-1336
Transport policy
Recommended papers
Planning and implementing a community-based public health advocacy campaign: a transport case study from Australia
Murray Gomm et al.
Health Promotion International, August 2006, Volume 21, Issue 4, pages 284-292
Evaluating health effects of transport interventions
David Ogilvie et al.
American American Journal of Preventive Medicine, August 2006, Volume 31, Number 2, pages 118-126
Other key papers
Evaluation of the implementation of a state government community design policy aimed at increasing local walking: design issues and baseline results from RESIDE, Perth, Western Australia
B Giles-Corti et al.
Preventive Medicine (2008), Volume 46, pages 46-54
Why Canadians cycle more than Americans: a comparative analysis of bicycling trends and policies
J Pucher and R Buehler
Transport Policy 13 (2006) 265–279
Neighbourhood design and active aging
Yvonne L. Michael et al.
Health and Place, December 2006, Volume 12, Number 4, pages 734-740
Moving towards better health: a survey of transport authorities and primary care trusts in south west England
P Akerman
Public Health, March 2006, Volume 120, Issue 3, Pages 213-220
Growing the field of health impact assessment in the United States: an agenda for research and practice
A L Dannenberg et al.
American Journal of Public Health, February 2006, Volume 96, Issue 2, Pages 262–270
A healthy reduction in oil consumption and carbon emissions
Paul A. T. Higgins et al.
Energy Policy, January 2005, Volume 33, Issue 1, pages 1-4
Transport and health - what is the connection? An exploration of concepts of health held by highways committee chairs in England
Adrian Davis
Transport Policy, July 2005, Volume 12, Issue 4, pages 324-333
Transport policy and health inequalities: a health impact assessment of Edinburgh's transport policy
D Gorman et al.
Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health (2003), Volume 117, Pages 15-24
Impact of walking upon medical care expenditure in Japan: the Ohsaki Cohort Study
I Tsuji et al.
International Journal of Epidemiology, October 2003, Volume 32, Number 5, Pages 809-814
Children
Recommended papers
A synthesis of research addressing children's, young people's and parents' views of walking and cycling for transport
G Brunton et al.
The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (2006) (EPPI-Centre)
Broken link (link temporarily removed)
Physical activity levels of children who walk, cycle, or are driven to school
A Cooper et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2005, Volume 29, Issue 3, pages 179-184
Recently added papers
Children's Active free play in local neighborhoods
J. Veitch et al
Health Education Research, November 2007, Volume 23, Number 5, pages 870-879
Playing it safe: the influence of neighbourhood safety on children's physcial activity
Alison Carver et al
Health and Place, June 2007, Voume 14, Issue 2, pages 217-227
The importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds
Kenneth R Ginsburg et al
Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, January 2007, Volume 119, Number 1, pages 182-191
Perceptions about the local neighborhood and walking and cycling among children
Anna Timpeiro et al
Preventative Medicine, January 2004, Volume 38, Issue 1, pages 39-47
Other key papers
Social-ecological correlates of active commuting to school among high school students
J E Robertson-Wilson et al.
Journal of Adolescent Health (2008)
Objectively measured physical activity and fat mass in a large cohort of children
Ness AR et al.
Public Library of Science Medicine, March 2007, Epub.
Physical activity during the transition from adolescence to adulthood
C.D. Zick et al.
Institute of Public and International Affairs, University of Utah (2006)
Relationship between urban sprawl and weight of United States youth
R Ewing et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, December 2006, Volume 31, Issue 6, Pages 464-474
Active travel to school and cardiovascular fitness in Danish children and adolescents
Ashley R. Cooper et al.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, October 2006, Volume 38, Issue 10, pages 1724-1731
The impact of walking to school among adolescents: seven day accelerometry based study
Leslie M Alexander et al.
British Medical Journal, November 2005, Volume 331, pages 1061-1062
Safe routes for children: what they want and what works
Paul Osborne
Children, Youth and Environments, 2005, Volume 15, Number 1
The therapeutic value of children's everyday travel
Roger L. Mackett et al.
Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, February-March 2005, Volume 39, Issues 2-3, Pages 205-219
Air pollution from traffic and the development of respiratory infections and asthmatic and allergic symptoms in children
M Brauer et al.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, October 2002, Volume 166, Pages 1092-1098