Socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates of commuting activity in Poland.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to analyse the epidemiology of active transportation and to investigate the relationship between commuting physical activity (PA) and socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics in Poland.


METHODS
A cross sectional analysis was conducted among 7280 randomly selected individuals (3747 men and 3533 women) aged 20-74 years participating in the National Multicentre Health Survey WOBASZ (2002-2005). Socio-demographic, smoking and physical activity details were assessed by an interviewer-administered questionnaire.


RESULTS
Only 36% of the participants (30% men and 42% of women) are active commuters. Moreover, 55.4% of them spend less than 15 min/day on walking or cycling. The highest risk of commuting inactivity was noticed among residents of large urban settings, with university education, the highest income and low occupational PA in both genders. Smoking and leisure-time PA were not significantly associated with commuting activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Active commuting is not common in Poland. There are several differences in commuting patterns as compared with the US or Western European populations. Due to important differences between various socio-demographic groups, future interventions should be specific for the targeted subpopulations.
Kwaśniewska
M
M
Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Łódź, Ul. Zeligowskiego 7/9, Łódź, Poland. magdalena.kwasniewska@umed.lodz.pl
Kaczmarczyk-Chałas
K
K
Pikala
M
M
Broda
Kozakiewicz
K
K
Pajak
A
A
Tykarski
A
A
Zdrojewski
T
T
Drygas
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001642:Bicycling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data