Abstract
BackgroundTo explore the relationship between leisure and commuter cycling with objectively measured levels of road traffic and whether any relationship was affected by traffic levels directly outside of home or in local neighbourhood.FindingsWe conducted a secondary analysis of data from the UK European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk cohort in 2009. We used a geographical information system (GIS) and gender specific multivariate models to relate 13 927 participants' reported levels of cycling with an index of road traffic volume (Road Traffic Volume Index Score - RTVIS). RTVIS were calculated around each participants home, using four distance based buffers, (0.5 km, 1 km, 2 km and 3.2 km). Models were adjusted for age, social status, education, car access and deprivation. Both genders had similar decreases in leisure cycling as traffic volumes increased at greater distances from home (OR 0.42, (95% CI 0.32-0.52, p < 0.001) for women and OR 0.41, (95% CI 0.33-0.50, p < 0.001) for men in the highest quartile at 3.2 km). There was no effect of traffic volumes at any distance on commuter cycling.ConclusionsTraffic volumes appear to have greater impact on leisure cycling than commuter cycling. Future research should investigate the importance of traffic on different types of cycling and include psychosocial correlates.
Highlights
To explore the relationship between leisure and commuter cycling with objectively measured levels of road traffic and whether any relationship was affected by traffic levels directly outside of home or in local neighbourhood
The aim of this study was to (i) explore the relationship between leisure cycling and commuter cycling with objectively measured levels of road traffic derived using a geographical information system (GIS) and (ii) investigate if any relationship was affected by traffic levels directly outside of the home or between home and local destinations
A higher proportion of men reported any leisure cycling compared to women, we found a slightly higher proportion of women reported any occasions of commuter cycling than men (p < 0.05)
Summary
To explore the relationship between leisure and commuter cycling with objectively measured levels of road traffic and whether any relationship was affected by traffic levels directly outside of home or in local neighbourhood. Cycling is considered to be a healthy, low carbon and sustainable physical activity behaviour [1]. Travel by bicycle does introduce health risks through accidents and injuries [2] the health benefits of cycling have been shown to outweigh these risks [3]. Studies have suggested that commuter cyclists have a lower mortality risk than non-cycling commuters, independent of physical activity levels [4]. Across many international countries the numbers of car trips are increasing and in some there are simultaneous declines in active travel trips by walking or cycling [5]. Characteristics of the built environment are suspected to contribute to levels of walking and cycling [6], for active travel behaviors in particular the evidence is inconsistent [7].
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