Public transportation, like, say, public health or the public library, just isn’t sexy.
But a fat slob isn’t sexy, either, is he? And with public transportation, he could build a sexy new physique in only 6 to 8 months, according to a recent publication in the the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. A journal that probably wouldn’t borrow the title I tore from the Cosmo stylebook, but the researchers’ clear conclusion is:
“The use of LRT [Light Rail Transit] to commute to work was associated with an average −1.18 reduction in BMI [Body Mass Index] (p<0.05) and an 81% reduced odds (95% CI=0.04, 0.92) of becoming obese over time.”
They used a “natural experiment” to check on people’s weight and physical activity before and after new light rail transit was built in 2007 in Charlotte, NC. People who rode light rail to work were 6.45 pounds lighter than commuters in cars. The authors realize that flaw of the study is that all the results were “self reported.” But the statistical analysis is solid.
You could click the link below, or saunter overt to the public library to read the full paper. If you’re in Charlotte, there’s public transport.
MacDonald JM, Stokes RJ, Cohen DA, Kofner A, & Ridgeway GK (2010). The effect of light rail transit on body mass index and physical activity. American journal of preventive medicine, 39 (2), 105-12 PMID: 20621257
Paul Statt Communications 
Fat and slob are two independent characteristics. The degree to which individuals carry excess weight is only a single indirect measure of health. A slob connotes someone who is slovenly and has nothing whatsoever to do with body weight.
Sexiness – your tease in the blog post – just doesn’t cut it when the actual research is finally revealed.
Disappointing.
So sayeth a pub. trans. using, non-driving traveler with a BMI in the “normal” range.
It’s a fallacy of division: if “the public” loses weight, then I will lose weight. Because I am a part of the public. That applies to sexiness somehow as well.
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