title: Free bus passes, use of public transport and obesity among older people in England.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  All residents of England aged 60 years and older became entitled to free travel on local buses on 1 April 2006. This study examines the impact of this policy on public transport use, a mode of active transport and levels of obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Logistic regression analyses using three waves of data (2004, 2006 and 2008) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Our main outcome measures were changes in self-reported public transport use, body mass index, waist circumference and obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eligibility for free bus travel was associated with increased use (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.51, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.00) of public transport among older people. Older people who used public transport had reduced odds of being obese in 2008 compared with those who did not (AOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.86), as did those who were eligible for free local bus travel (AOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.97). Older people who used public transport had reduced odds of becoming obese between 2004 and 2008 (AOR 0.79, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.98).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The introduction of free bus travel for older residents of England appears to have increased public transport use and may have conferred a protective effect against obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Campus, Reynolds Building, London W6 8RP, UK. elizabeth.a.webb@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Gopalakrishnan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Netuveli
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Millett
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D014186:Transportation