Free bus pass increases physical activity in elderly

Sep 24 2012

By Sarah Guy, medwireNews Reporter

UK adults aged 60 years and over who take advantage of the 2002 introduction of a free bus pass undertake significantly more active travel than their peers who do not have a pass, indicate study results.

The association holds regardless of socioeconomic status (SES), report the researchers, who found that individuals with passes were also significantly more likely to be physically active compared with those without one.

"Our main findings suggest that older persons in England with a National Bus Pass are significantly more likely to report active transport use [eg, cycling, public transport] and frequent walking," say Sophie Coronini-Cronberg (Imperial College London, UK) and colleagues in the American Journal of Public Health.

The team explains that remaining physically active is as important in older adults as it is in younger adults because it "reduces the loss of mobility and muscle strength, falls, and fractures, and promotes social and mental well-being."

The study included 1 week of data for 16,911 adults aged 60 years or over who took part in the UK National Travel Survey between 2005 and 2008, of whom 11,218 had a free bus pass, and 5693 did not.

Overall, the number of respondents with a bus pass rose during the period, from 56.8% to 74.7%, and those with a pass were a significant 3.76 times more likely to have undertaken any active travel during the week of observation than those without one.

After adjusting for potential confounders including age, gender, car access, and population size of the area of residence, Coronini-Cronberg and co-investigators found that the odds for doing any active travel were similar for pass holders who owned their homes as they were for those who rented them, at odds ratios (ORs) of 4.72 and 4.06, respectively, compared with nonpass holders.

"These findings suggest that the public health benefit to older people associated with holding a free bus pass may be equitable across SES groups," write the authors.

Finally, the team reports that having a bus pass significantly increased the chances of walking three or more times per week, at an OR 1.15.

"These findings suggest that public subsidies enabling free bus travel for older persons may confer significant population health benefits through increasing incidental physical activity levels," conclude Coronini-Cronberg et al.

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