Research

Energy balance

Household ownership of motorized transportation is associated with higher odds of obesity in both men and women, even after adjusting for dietary intake and other socioeconomic factors.

Owning a car or motorcycle is linked to higher obesity rates in both men and women. To maintain a healthy weight, you should prioritize active transportation methods like walking or cycling for daily errands, rather than relying solely on motorized transport.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
We adjusted for age, work and leisure activity, energy intake, smoking status, alcohol consumption, income, education, household ownership of a computer and TV, and urban residence and found the odds of being obese were 70% greater [odds ratio, (OR) 1.70; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.67] in men and 85% greater in women (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.81) compared with those who did not own a vehicle.
Andrew C. Bell et al. · Obesity Research · 2002

Why this rating

Cross-sectional data with robust adjustment, supported by longitudinal cohort data.

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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