Prospective study on the association of active commuting and diabetes incidence

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17925
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59040:Nutrition science and health science-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: HONDA Takanori 九州大学, 医学研究院, 助教 (30773353)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 身体活動 / 運動 / 前向きコホート / 糖尿病 / 糖代謝異常

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of active commuting on the incidence of diabetes using the data from a cohort study of community residents. A total of 1,208 residents without diabetes who aged 40-79 years and underwent a medical checkup in 1988 in the town of Hisayama were followed-up for 14 years. The results showed that the risk of developing diabetes was significantly lower among active commuters than among non-active commuters. The applicability of this finding in the post-COVID era was examined through a web survey. Results showed that active commuters accounted for more than half of all commuters, and longer duration of non-active commuting was associated with a higher odds ratio for having obesity. These results suggest that active commuting may be effective in preventing metabolic diseases in Japan after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Free Research Field

疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我が国の糖尿病有病率は高止まりしている。一次予防が課題であり、余暇運動によるポピュレーションアプローチが期待されるが、特に中年期においては主に多忙のため運動習慣者の割合は増えていない。そこで、中年期の身体活動量を増加させる代替施策として、活発な通勤の普及が進められている。現在改定中の身体活動ガイドラインにおいても、自転車通勤を推奨事項として取り入れる予定となっている。本研究の知見は、我が国で活発な通勤、特に自転車通勤が有効である可能性が示し、上記ガイドラインの推奨を裏付けするものである。