Commuter e-bike use is associated with increased total physical activity over time

Abstract

Abstract Background Active commuting such as cycling has been recommended as a practical way to increase population physical activity levels and improve health. Beside positive health effects observed in experimental studies, less is known about how e-bikes can improve public health outcomes in real-life settings. Objectives To describe the patterns over time in physical activity, sedentary behavior, cardiorespiratory fitness and psychophysiological well-being in a population of new commuter e-bike users. Methods This was a population-based prospective longitudinal study in France. 33 new users of e-bike were recruited and measured at 4-time points (T0, T1, T2, T3), from before the effective beginning of the e-bike use (T0) until a mean of 4.6 months of use (T3) (min: 3.2, max: 7). Repeated measures multilevel modeling was used on 4 waves of measurements to assess variations over time of e-bike use, total moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total sedentary time (SED-time). Pre-post comparisons between T0 and T3 were performed to detect change in cardiorespiratory fitness, markers of adiposity, self-esteem, quality of life (SF12-v2), and physical activity motivations (EMAPS). Results Adherence to e-bike commuting was high and stable, with a mean of 82% (3%) of weekly use. Multilevel modeling indicated that MVPA followed a significant increasing curvilinear trajectory over time, plateauing after 90 days (+ 21 MET-h/week compared to mean T0 at 33 MET-h/week). No significant change was found in SED-time, averaging a mean of 8.6 hours/day. Greater adherence to using an e-bike was associated with greater increases in MVPA. Several markers of physical and mental health improved. Conclusions New commuter e-bike users undergo a significant increase in MVPA while being already at a high level before e-bike use onset. This increase in MVPA could be meaningful to attenuate detrimental effects of a persistent high sedentary behavior. Key messages MVPA significantly increases among new commuter e-bike users, along with improvements in physical and mental health. High SED-time is persistent, making increase in MVPA in a population with a moderately high initial level still crucial.