From cars to bikes – the feasibility and effect of using e-bikes, longtail bikes and traditional bikes for transportation among parents of children attending kindergarten: design of a randomized cross-over trial

BMC Public Health

Study Protocol

Elling Bere¹  Sveinung Berntsen¹  Saskia J. te Velde¹  Helga Birgit Bjørnarå¹  Liv Fegran¹  Aslak Fyhri²  Lars Bo Andersen³  Benedicte Deforche⁴ 

[1] Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Post Box 422, NO-4604, Kristiansand, Norway;Department of Safety and the Environment, Institute of Transport Economics, Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, OSLO, Norway;Faculty of Teacher Education and Sport, Western Norwegian University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal Campus, Bergen, Norway;Unit Health Promotion and Education, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, De Pintelaan, 185, Ghent, Belgium;Research unit Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health, Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels, Belgium;

关键词: Active transportation;    E-bike;    Cargo bike;    Bicycling time;    Bicycling distance;    Physical activity;    Fitness;    Body composition;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-017-4995-z

 received in 2017-07-07, accepted in 2017-12-14,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe present study aims to increase bicycling and level of physical activity (PA), and thereby promote health in parents of toddlers, by giving access to different bicycle types. There is a need for greater understanding of e-bikes and their role in the transportation network, and further effects on PA levels and health. Moreover, longtail bikes could meet certain practical needs not fulfilled by e-bikes or traditional bikes, hence increased knowledge regarding their feasibility should be obtained. No previous studies have investigated whether providing an e-bike or a longtail bike over an extended period in a sample of parents of toddlers influence objectively assessed amount of bicycling and total PA level, transportation habits, cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and blood pressure.MethodsA randomized cross-over trial will be performed, entailing that participants in the intervention group (n = 18) complete the following intervention arms in random order: (i) three months access to an e-bicycle with trailer for child transportation (n = 6), (ii) three months access to a longtail bicycle (n = 6), and (iii) three months access to a regular bicycle with trailer (n = 6), in total nine months. Also, a control group (n = 18) maintaining usual transportation and PA habits will be included. A convenience sample consisting of 36 parents of toddlers residing in Kristiansand municipality, Southern Norway, will be recruited. Total amount of bicycling (distance and time), total level of PA, and transportation habits will be measured at baseline and in connection to each intervention arm. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and blood pressure will be measured at baseline and post-intervention. Main outcome will be bicycling distance and time spent cycling.DiscussionNew knowledge relevant for the timely issues of public health and environmental sustainability will be provided among parents of toddlers, representing a target group of greatest importance. There is a call for research on the influence of e-bikes and longtail bikes on travel behavior and PA levels, and whether voluntary cycling could improve health. If the present study reveals promising results, it should be replicated in larger and more representative samples. Eventually, inclusion in national public health policies should be considered.Trial registrationID NCT03131518, made public 26.04.2017.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017