Association of overweight status and active travel among college students

Many health behaviors are established during the life-transition time of college. Thus, college students may be effective targets for active travel (AT) interventions, a potentially fruitful method of increasing physical activity that has been associated with various health benefits. This study sought to examine differences in college students' AT by weight status. Methods: Students at a large northeastern US campus were recruited to complete an online survey that queried self-reported demographics, height/weight status, frequency and mode of travel to and around campus, and environmental influences for travel choices. Participants were dichotomized into healthy weight (<25kg/m2, n=552, 72.3%) and overweight (≥25kg/m2, n=211, 27.7%) categories. Descriptive and inferential analyses were utilized to examine relationships and differences between weight categories. Results: Participants (n=763; age: 20.99 ± 3.43 years) were primarily white (85.3%) and female (62.7%). Healthy weight students were more likely to report AT to campus (p=0.02) and AT as their primary mode of travel on campus (p=0.002) compared with overweight students. Overweight students were less likely to have bike rack access at their residence (p=0.03) and were more likely to own a car (p<0.001), use campus parking permits (p=0.02), and live further from campus (p<0.001) than healthy weight students. Living with someone who engaged in AT was positively associated with AT for overweight students (p<0.001). Discussion: These findings provide insight on how weight status may be associated with environmental and community influences for AT. Future studies examining AT among college students should consider the causal relationship between weight status and AT.