Associations between the frequency of cycling and domains of quality of life
Melanie Crane A C , Chris Rissel A , Christopher Standen B and Stephen Greaves BA Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
B Institute of Transport & Logistics Studies, The University of Sydney Business School, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: melanie.crane@sydney.edu.au
Health Promotion Journal of Australia 25(3) 182-185 https://doi.org/10.1071/HE14053
Submitted: 26 June 2014 Accepted: 23 October 2014 Published: 8 December 2014
Abstract
Issue addressed: This study examined the association between domains of quality of life (QoL) and the frequency of cycling by men and women.
Method: A cross-sectional survey of 846 healthy adults in Sydney, Australia measured cycling behaviour and self-reported QoL. Participants were aged 18–55 years and were living within 5 km of the centre. Cycling frequency for all purposes was recorded as weekly, less than weekly or never cycling. QoL was measured using the four QoL domains of the WHOQOL-BREF: physical psychological, social and environment. Linear regression was used to assess the association between cycling and QoL.
Results: Among men, at least weekly cycling was associated with physical QoL (P = 0.002) and any cycling was positively associated with psychological wellbeing (at least weekly P = 0.01, less than weekly P = 0.01) after adjusting for age, education and income. No significant associations were observed for women.
Conclusion: Frequent cycling was associated with higher physical and psychological QoL in men, but not among women in this sample. No relationship was observed between cycling and the environment and social QoL domains.
So what?: These findings suggest that cycling offers physical and psychological QoL benefits for men.
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