None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Governmental and other health agencies are encouraging active commuting (e.g. walking or bicycling), which may bring environmental and fiscal benefits, yet knowledge of the effects on overall physical activity levels and health are lacking. Although walking is practical for short distances, its role in improving cardiovascular health may be limited to older and sedentary populations. Bicycling, on the other hand, is generally performed at an intensity that improves cardiovascular fitness among young and healthy populations. However, few studies have examined bicycle commuting from the perspective of health gains, which have yielded limited and mixed findings. Additionally, whether initiation of a bicycle commuting routine will increase energy expenditure is currently unknown; as energy compensation from other physical activities may occur. The purpose of this study is to provide quantitative evidence of the contribution (or lack thereof) a daily routine of cycle commuting makes to enhancing physical activity, increasing energy expenditure, and altering physical and mental health parameters among New Zealanders. If changes are observed, these data will give an indication of the magnitude of change that may be expected in these criterion measures with a given increase in activity/energy expenditure, i.e. the relationship between load and response.
Interventions
A 10-week intervention will be conducted in which participants will be asked to ride 20+ min/day 3-5 days/week at a self-selected intensity. A minimum ride time of 100 min a week, accumulated over at least 3 days will be necessary to remain in the project. Participants will be allowed one week of less than 100 minutes of cycling (e.g. illness, travel) but must be made up by adding an extra week to the intervention. Bikes, riding accessories and guidelines will be provided. Two 1 h “training and
A 10-week intervention will be conducted in which participants will be asked to ride 20+ min/day 3-5 days/week at a self-selected intensity. A minimum ride time of 100 min a week, accumulated over at least 3 days will be necessary to remain in the project. Participants will be allowed one week of less than 100 minutes of cycling (e.g. illness, travel) but must be made up by adding an extra week to the intervention. Bikes, riding accessories and guidelines will be provided. Two 1 h “training and support” sessions will be held by the Master's student (who is also a bike mechanic) to familiarise participants with bike handling, basic maintenance, road rules and a discussion of routes in and around Dunedin (where the trial will take place). These will occur at baseline and in week 3 of the intervention. Attendance at these sessions (and all required measures) will be mandatory to participate/remain in the trial and keep the bikes. Attendance will be registered. In addition to activity logbooks which will be collected weekly, participants will be given a downloadable HR monitor to be worn during all waking hours for 3 consecutive days at baseline, in week 4 and in week 8. Heart rate data in weeks 4 and 8 will be used to corroborate cycle commute information from activity logs, including intensity of commute. (Accelerometers are notoriously poor for identifying cycling.)
Sponsors
University of Otago; School of Physical Education
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
20 Years to 55 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Pass Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ) Not currently actively commuting and have neither contraindications to exercise nor cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria includes smoking, active commuting, unemployed or working from home, a BMI > 30, or participating in a structured training program or contraindications to exercise as defined in the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.
Outcome results
None listed