Burn Calories, Not Fuel! The effects of bikeshare programs on obesity rates. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Dafeng
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 67(2019)
• Page Start: 89
• Page End: 108
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: Bikeshare -- Bicycle -- Obesity -- Transportation -- Public health -- U.S.; Transportation -- Research -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; 354.76
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2018.11.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1361-9209

Abstract

Highlights: I study the effects of bikeshare programs on obesity rates in the U.S. I use difference-in-differences models in the 2007–2013 county panel data set. I find that bikeshare programs lead to declines in obesity rates. Two possible mechanisms are the rise in bicycle commuting and physical activities. Results are robust to changes to samples and specifications. Abstract: More than 50 bikeshare programs have been launched in the U.S. since 2010. In this paper, I estimate the effects of bikeshare programs on the prevalence of obesity at the county level. To do so, I merge bikeshare system data with obesity data released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and construct a county-level panel covering the period of 2007–2013. I employ a difference-in-differences empirical framework, in which I compare the obesity rate before and after the introduction of the bikeshare programs in counties that have ever launched bikeshare programs, and use counties that have never introduced bikeshare programs as the control group. Difference-in-differences estimates suggest the significant public health effect of bikeshare programs: the introduction of the bikeshare programs leads to moderate declines in obesity rates; a possible mechanism is its impacts on leisure-time physical activities. I also conduct various additional tests to check the robustness of the above findings. These tests show that the conclusion of this paper is robust to changes to samples and empirical models.