Fewer than one in five people commute to work by walking or biking year-round, according to findings of a study by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL.
Around 19 percent of females — and 15 percent of males — walk or cycle at least one kilometre and then use public transport on their way back and forth to work.
Young adults were found to be the most active pedestrians and cyclists, while less educated men were the least active in that regard, according to THL.
The study found people who cycled benefited most from the physical activity, since their journeys were often longer than those who usually walked, chief researcher Jaana Halonen explained in a THL press release.
The study also found that more than half of people in Finland who commute to work make the trips by car.
Fewer sick days
According to the study, people who regularly walked or cycled 60 km or more per week on their commutes had a 10 percent overall lower risk of calling in sick. They also had a 20 percent lower risk of long-term sick leaves, compared to their more passive counterparts.
The most physically active commuters had an average of 4.5 fewer annual sick leave days than their less active counterparts.
The research found, perhaps unsurprisingly to most, that walking and cycling commutes were more common in the summer. During the warmer months, nearly 30 percent of women and more than 20 percent of men commuted by walking or biking. At colder times of the year, the proportion decreases by around 10 percentage points for both men and women.
THL suggested that sustainable mobility methods could be encouraged by improving public transportation services and ensuring proper winter maintenance of pedestrian and bicycle paths.
Meanwhile, the health agency said employers and educational institutions could also improve the situation by offering enough places to park bicycles, changing room facilities, employee bicycle benefits and flexible working hours.
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