Traveling by Private Motorized Vehicle and Physical Fitness in Taiwanese Adults

Although the time spent sitting in motorized vehicles has been determined to be adversely associated with cardiometabolic health, its association with other health indicators remains unclear.

This study examined associations between traveling by private motorized vehicle and 4 indicators of physical fitness in adults.

Data from 52,114 Taiwanese adults aged 20 to 65 years who participated in the 2013 National Adults Fitness Survey were used. The examined variables were height, body mass, and performance in modified sit-and-reach (flexibility), bent-leg sit-up (abdominal muscular strength and endurance), and a 3-min step test (cardiorespiratory endurance). Participants were asked on how many days they had used a private car or motorcycle for traveling from place to place and categorized as non-, occasional, and daily private motorized vehicle travelers. Logistic and linear regression models were used to examine associations between the categories of using private motorized vehicles to travel and physical fitness performance.

After an adjustment for potential demographic and behavioral confounders, daily traveling by private motorized vehicle was associated with a higher probability of overweight (odds ratio = 1.18), lower performance of abdominal muscular strength and endurance (−0.37 times/min), and lower cardiorespiratory fitness (−0.60 physical fitness index) than was traveling that did not involve private motorized vehicles.

The results suggest that in addition to unfavorable cardiorespiratory fitness and a risk of overweight, daily traveling by private motorized vehicle is associated with poor performance in abdominal muscular strength and endurance.