• Samantha Green, Peter Sakuls, and Sarah Levitt.
• Family physician at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ont, and Faculty Lead in Climate Change and Health in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.
• Can Fam Physician. 2021 Oct 1; 67 (10): 739742739-742.

ObjectiveTo review the literature about cycling and health, and to provide an overview and discussion of the available evidence.Sources Of InformationThe MeSH terms bicycle and transportation were searched in PubMed. Clinical trials, practice reviews, and systematic reviews were included. All reference lists were reviewed for additional articles.Main MessageClimate change is a threat to health. In Canada alone, transportation is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Active transportation, which is any form of human-powered transportation, can mitigate the health effects of the climate crisis while simultaneously improving the health of people. Physical activity improves overall well-being, as well as physical and mental health. Active transportation, particularly cycling, is a convenient way to meet physical activity targets, reduce risk of disease and all-cause mortality, and derive mental health and social benefits. Family physician advocacy for active transportation has been shown to increase cycling levels in patients compared with no physician advocacy.ConclusionFamily physicians can help to increase the level of active transportation at the individual patient level through patient education and behaviour change counseling; at the community level through community education and political advocacy; and at the policy level through partnerships with larger organizations.Copyright © the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

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