A43 The relationship between bicycle commuting and levels of self-perceived stress

Abstract

Abstract Background Active mobility, namely walking, cycling and the use of public transport, is being encouraged in cities across the world to address physical inactivity, vehicular congestion, air pollution and climate change. Active mobility, particularly bicycle commuting, is well suited to provide routine physical activity, e.g. for travel to and from work or education. It has been suggested that greater time spent actively commuting is associated with higher levels of physical and mental wellbeing. The current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between bicycle use for commuting among the working or studying adult population of Barcelona (Spain) and levels of self-perceived stress. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed with approximately 800 adults who commuted to work or study places in Barcelona. They responded to a comprehensive telephone survey concerning their travel behaviour from June 2011 through to May 2012. Based upon responses, participants were categorised into two commute type groups: bicyclist commuters and non-bicyclist commuters. The self-perceived stress level was assessed with the short version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), which measures the degree to which situations in one’s life over the past month are appraised as stressful. The self-perceived stress was categorised as stressed and non-stressed. The relationship was assessed by multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for all potential confounders including age, sex, country of birth, education level, self-reported health status and chronic disease. Results: (ongoing analyses) There was a statistically significant relationship between bicycle commuting and levels of self-perceived stress; the bicyclist commuters had increased percentage of being non-stressed [OR: 0.60; 95% CI: (0.45, 0.81)]. This relationship was robust when adjusted for confounders [OR: 0.64; 95% CI: (0.47, 0.87)]. Conclusions: (preliminary) A relationship between being a bicycle commuter and lower levels of self-perceived stress among adults surveyed in Barcelona was found. The relationship identified should be considered for decision makers to promote active mobility, particularly bicycle commuting.