The relationship of car driving and bicycle riding on physical activity and social participation in Japanese rural areas

Abstract

Limited transportation leads to restriction of activity. However, few studies have paid attention to the effect of the type of transportation. This study focused on car driving and bicycle riding and aimed to examine the association of these transportation methods with physical activity and social participation in Japanese older adults. This cross-sectional study included 374 Japanese older adults living in a rural area. Physical activity was evaluated using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. The data on transportation mode and 4 types of social participation were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire. An analysis of covariance and a multivariate Poisson regression analysis were conducted to evaluate associations. The sample comprised 304 participants who usually drive a car and 106 who regularly ride a bicycle. Although there was no significant association between car driving and physical activity, bicycle riding showed positive association with leisure time activity (p = .009), household activity (p = .001), and total physical activity (p community association (PR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.11–2.77) and volunteer activities (PR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.08–2.43). These results suggested that car driving and bicycle riding have different effects on physical activity and social participation.