Abstract
Globally, there is an increasing challenge of physical inactivity and associated diseases. Commuter cycling is an everyday physical activity with great potential to increase the health status in a population. We aimed to evaluate the association of self-reported factors and objectively measured environmental factors in residence and along commuter routes and assessed the probability of being a commuter cyclist in Norway. Our study included respondents from a web-based survey in three Norwegian counties and we used a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evaluate the natural and built environment. Of the 1196 respondents, 488 were classified as commuter cyclists. Self-reported factors as having access to an e-bike (OR 5.99 [CI: 3.71–9.69]), being physically active (OR 2.56 [CI: 1.42–4.60]) and good self-rated health (OR 1.92 [CI: 1.20–3.07]) increased the probability of being a cyclist, while being overweight or obese (OR 0.71 [CI: 0.54–0.94]) reduced the probability. Environmental factors, such as high population density (OR 1.49 [CI: 1.05–2.12]) increased the probability, while higher slope (trend p = 0.020), total elevation along commuter route (trend p = 0.001), and >5 km between home and work (OR 0.17 [CI: 0.13–0.23]) decreased the probability of being a cyclist. In the present study, both self-reported and environmental factors were associated with being a cyclist. With the exception of being in good health, the characteristics of cyclists in Norway, a country with a low share of cyclists, seem to be similar to countries with a higher share of cyclists. With better knowledge about characteristics of cyclists, we may design better interventions and campaigns to increase the share of commuter cyclists.
Highlights
There is an increasing challenge of physical inactivity and several environmental factors are associated with physical activity (PA) levels [1]
The multivariate model containing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data was able to distinguish between cyclists and non-cyclists p < 0.001
The present study aims to describe the association between commuting by bicycle, self-reported characteristics and objectively measured environmental factors
Summary
There is an increasing challenge of physical inactivity and several environmental factors are associated with physical activity (PA) levels [1]. Low levels of PA contribute to a higher risk of diseases [2]. 150 min/week in order to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [3]. It has been observed that any level of physical activity above sedentary is associated with a lower risk of mortality [4]. Commuter cycling is an everyday PA with great potential to increase the level of PA in the population. Already in 2000, an association of lower risk of all-cause mortality among commuter cyclists was observed [5], and commuter cycling was later reported to be associated with a reduced risk of a
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