A new study suggests that when you commute for your work, you’re actually doing yourself a huge favor. The news comes to us thanks to researchers at the University College of London who mentioned how traveling a distance of 15 miles from your residence on a regular basis is great for your physical and mental health.
A team at UCL says that those individuals who happened to be living in poorly connected regions had negative impacts on health, especially those above the age of 55. Meanwhile, those older than this are likely to suffer severe mobility issues as well as loneliness. This is in comparison to those who are younger and often end up moving to bigger cities.
People who do end up traveling more often are likely to visit bigger cities. And they’re also more liable to catch up with their buddies and relatives on a more routine basis than others.
Researchers claim such findings prove how society is required to invest in transport options that are medium or long distance. This entails better roads as well as more access to commuting options like trains and buses.
The researchers were seen analyzing travel in the northern part of England. This is where locals faced more harsh health outcomes than others across the United Kingdom. There were rural and suburban locations that had been so badly linked.
The research made use of a questionnaire where nearly 3000 participants were enrolled. All of them were residents of Northern England and this is where the researchers evaluated how people felt about their health being affected by poor options for public transport in their vicinity.
The study evaluated how far people traveled and how many locations they went to and how far they traveled as well. At the same time, the mode of transport was also evaluated. Moreover, the authors were seen hypothesizing how lack of access to different types of public transport would be affiliated with residents' view of their health as they’re likely to participate less in social activities.
Factors such as location, demographics, and travel distance were evaluated, including social participation and how residents looked at their own health and well-being. The key variable discovered was the number of different localities people ended up visiting outside a certain local area. That is linked to greater social participation as well as better types of health.
Those above the age of 33 were more favorable to face limitations at traveling like limited mobility. They’re more likely to go through loneliness as well. And those living in rural and suburban places that had limited access were likely to go through population loss as young individuals moved toward cities while searching for work and great options for travel.
The authors concluded how such study results give rise to the need for more enhanced public policies which reduce constraints to travel in a specific region. This means there are better options for both public as well as private transport that enables frequent as well longer distance trips.
This was a great and unique study as until now, there have been none that glanced over the impact of limited access to travel on a person’s health and wellbeing.
Other reports from the past were seen focusing on poor connections of transport which lead to less sense of well-being as well as depriving people of economic advantages that can be attained through better commuting.
Read next: The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep: Why Getting Enough Rest is Essential for Your Health
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
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