Research

Energy balance

Acquisition of motorized transportation (cars/motorcycles) significantly increases the odds of becoming obese in men, primarily by replacing active transportation (walking/cycling) with sedentary travel, thereby reducing incidental physical activity.

If you are acquiring a car or motorcycle, be aware that you are likely to gain weight, especially if you are male. To counteract this, you must intentionally incorporate physical activity into your routine, such as walking or cycling for short trips, to replace the energy expenditure you lose by driving.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Compared with those who had no change in vehicle ownership and excluding all those who were obese at baseline, men in households who acquired a motorized vehicle experienced a 1.8 kg (95% CI, 0.82 to 2.83) greater weight gain after adjustment for confounders... Men who acquired a motorized vehicle experienced a 1.8-kg greater weight gain (p < 0.05) and had 2 to 1 odds of becoming obese.
Andrew C. Bell et al. · Obesity Research · 2002

Why this rating

Longitudinal cohort data with adjustment for confounders, though observational and subject to endogeneity.

Source

The Road to Obesity or the Path to Prevention: Motorized Transportation and Obesity in China

Andrew C. Bell et al. · Obesity Research · 2002

DOI 10.1038/oby.2002.38

cohort · n=4741Cited 374×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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