It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that a sedentary lifestyle can be bad for one’s health. But a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that the more we sit, the higher the rate of mortality. So a suggestion to school bus drivers: get up and walk around!
The 14-year study says it’s all about improving our individual metabolism. School bus drivers obviously spend a good amount of their shift seated behind the wheel.
Researchers interviewed more than 53,000 men and nearly 70,000 women who were disease free at the beginning of the study and found through follow-up studies that more than 11,300 of the men and almost 8,000 of the women died. And there was a direct correlation to physical activity or lack there of.
After adjusting for smoking, body mass index and other factors, women who sit for more than 6 hours a day were found to increase their risk of death by 37 percent. Meanwhile, men were 17 percent more likely to shorten their life span.
Perhaps this is reason enough for more school bus operations to consider having their drivers cross with students. California is the only state to require drivers to get out of their seat (after turning off the engine and taking the keys with them) to help children, especially the younger ones cross to and from the bus stop. States all have their own requirements or guidelines, but something to consider when thinking about both the health of the student and of the driver.
And, who knows, maybe the pre-trip and post-trip inspections that look for mechanical anomalies and sleeping kids can be just as beneficial to drivers in lengthening their lives while at the same time lengthening and strengthening their careers.
