WFH could be WRECKING your health, study suggests... as experts find that 'active commuters' have a 47 per cent reduced risk of death

I thought that some of the claims below sounded a bit fishy so I looked up the underlying journal article. Its full citation is below:

Health benefits of pedestrian and cyclist commuting: evidence from the Scottish Longitudinal Study, BMJ Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1136/bmjph-2024-001295

But it appears to have been withdrawn. It is offline. It no longer exists anwhere on the net. So there must have been something REALLY fishy about it!

Working from home really is unhealthier, it seems, as a new study reveals 'active commuters' have up to a 47 per cent reduced risk of death.

People who cycle or walk to and from work have lower risks of mental and physical ill health compared to those who don't rely on these options, a large, long-term study suggests.

Active travel is considered to be one of the easiest ways to increase the amount of daily physical activity we do, and there is mounting evidence in favour of its health benefits.

Researchers from the Glasgow Centre for Population Health analysed data from 82,000 people in Scotland aged between 16 and 74.

Participants were asked questions including which mode of travel they used for the longest part, by distance, of their journey to work.

Nearly all people who walked to work had a commuting distance of less than 5km.

Four-fifths of cyclists also travelled less than 5km, while 14 per cent travelled 5-9.9km to work.

Meanwhile, 58 per cent of inactive commuters travelled further than 5km to get to work.

Over the 18-year study period, participants' health data was also collected.

The researchers found that compared with inactive commuters who drove or took public transport to work, those who walked or cycled had lower risks of death and mental and physical ill health.

Commuting by bike was linked with a 47 per cent lower risk of death and a 10 per cent lower risk of any hospital admission.

It was also associated with a 30 per cent lower risk of being prescribed a drug to treat cardiovascular disease, a 51 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer, and a 20 per cent lower risk of being prescribed drugs for mental health problems.

Meanwhile, walking to work was linked with an 11 per cent lower risk of hospital admission for any cause, a 10 per cent lower risk of being prescribed drugs to treat cardiovascular disease and a 7 per cent lower risk of being prescribed drugs for mental health issues.

The authors said active commuting has clear health benefits and can be an effective way to accommodate physical activity into everyday working life.

While the study did not directly compare the health of those working from home and active commuters, previous research has shown that working from home is linked with more sedentary behaviour and less physical activity.

Writing in the journal BMJ Public Health the researchers said: 'This study strengthens the evidence that active commuting has population-level health benefits and can contribute to reduced morbidity and mortality.

'That cyclist and pedestrian commuting is associated with lower risks of being prescribed medication for poor mental health is an important finding.

'This study has wider global relevance to efforts to reduce carbon emissions and to shift to more active and sustainable travel modes.'

While the study did not determine the ideal commuting distance, the researchers pointed out that national guidelines suggests adults should spend 30 minutes a day being moderately physically active.

Cycling and walking briskly would both count. Therefore, someone cycling at 14km/h would reach this with a 3.5km return journey to work.

Meanwhile, a pedestrian walking at 4.8km/h would achieve this guideline level after 2.4km.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13640327/WFH-health-commuters-death.html

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