Three kilometers. It seems like a small thing, yet it is the threshold beyond which the home-office journey stops being a merely logistical fact and becomes a possible health problem. A longitudinal study published by Science Direct based on data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health – four survey waves between 2012 and 2018, with a sample of over 11,000 people – established that as the distance traveled to reach the workplace increases, the risk of physical inactivity, overweight and sleep disorders increases.
More hours on the road, less health
The picture worsens for those who work long hours: workers who work more than 40 hours a week and spend more than five hours a week commuting show a significantly worse health profile than those who commute between one and five hours.
The issue is sport, not traffic
The explanation does not require sophisticated calculations. Those who live within three kilometers of the office are more likely to walk or cycle to work, incorporating physical activity into their day without having to plan it separately.
Those who travel longer distances – often by car or on crowded public transport – end up sacrificing time for sport, sleep and recovery.
The Italian case
A context which, in Italy, concerns millions of people: according to the Censis-Michelin report on the mobility of Italians, the “commuters” who travel over 50 km a day are 1.2 million, an increase of 500 thousand units compared to 2001.
An Italian commuter, on average, travels almost 29 kilometers a day, taking around 57 minutes, all time taken away from rest and physical activity, two key variables in metabolic and cardiovascular prevention.
