SynthesisPloS one2013
What are the health benefits of active travel? A systematic review of trials and cohort studies.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 115 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
115 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 366 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of active travel interventions in the UK on disadvantaged population groups and their potential to reduce health inequalities: systematic review.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2026Pooled it
- School environments and obesity: a systematic review of interventions and policies among school-age students in Latin America and the Caribbean.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2023Pooled it
- Associations among Active Commuting to School and Prevalence of Obesity in Adolescents: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Correlates and determinants of transport-related physical activity among adults: an interdisciplinary systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Access to public transport and childhood obesity: A systematic review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Pooled it
- Associations of Public Transportation Use With Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.American journal of epidemiology · 2019Pooled it
- Active Commuting and Multiple Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic literature review of built environment effects on physical activity and active transport - an update and new findings on health equity.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of reduction in all-cause mortality from walking and cycling and shape of dose response relationship.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2014Pooled it
- Effects of Commuter Cycling on Physical Activity, Cardiometabolic Health and Body Composition.European journal of sport science · 2025Trial
- Parent Perceptions on a Walking School Bus Program Among Low-Income Families: A Qualitative Study.Journal of physical activity & health · 2019Trial
- From cars to bikes - The effect of an intervention providing access to different bike types: A randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Walking as a feasible means of effecting positive changes in BMI, waist, and blood pressure in black South African women.African health sciences · 2018Trial
- From cars to bikes - the feasibility and effect of using e-bikes, longtail bikes and traditional bikes for transportation among parents of children attending kindergarten: design of a randomized cross-over trial.BMC public health · 2017Trial
- Views and experiences of behaviour change techniques to encourage walking to work: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2014Trial
- Commuting by bicycle (vs. by car) is associated with improved aerobic power, microvascular function and diminished COExperimental physiology · 2026Article
- Associations between adverse childhood experiences and physical activity domains among middle-aged and older adults: a national analysis.BMC public health · 2026Article
- A scoping review of children's and adolescents' active travel in China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Active Travel Mode and Incident Dementia and Brain Structure.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Association of active commuting with incidence of depression and anxiety: prospective cohort study.Translational psychiatry · 2025Observational
55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIncreasing active travel (primarily walking and cycling) has been widely advocated for reducing obesity levels and achieving other population health benefits. However, the strength of evidence underpinning this strategy is unclear. This study aimed to assess the evidence that active travel has significant health benefits.
methodsThe study design was a systematic review of (i) non-randomised and randomised controlled trials, and (ii) prospective observational studies examining either (a) the effects of interventions to promote active travel or (b) the association between active travel and health outcomes. Reports of studies were identified by searching 11 electronic databases, websites, reference lists and papers identified by experts in the field. Prospective observational and intervention studies measuring any health outcome of active travel in the general population were included. Studies of patient groups were excluded.
resultsTwenty-four studies from 12 countries were included, of which six were studies conducted with children. Five studies evaluated active travel interventions. Nineteen were prospective cohort studies which did not evaluate the impact of a specific intervention. No studies were identified with obesity as an outcome in adults; one of five prospective cohort studies in children found an association between obesity and active travel. Small positive effects on other health outcomes were found in five intervention studies, but these were all at risk of selection bias. Modest benefits for other health outcomes were identified in five prospective studies. There is suggestive evidence that active travel may have a positive effect on diabetes prevention, which may be an important area for future research.
conclusionsActive travel may have positive effects on health outcomes, but there is little robust evidence to date of the effectiveness of active transport interventions for reducing obesity. Future evaluations of such interventions should include an assessment of their impacts on obesity and other health outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.