Bicycling to university: evaluation of a bicycle-sharing program in Spain

Abstract

This study examined the change in behavioral stages (e.g. contemplation, action and maintenance) of cycling to university before and after the implementation of a new public bicycle share program (PBSP) and promotion of its use. The study also determined the change in the prevalence, correlates of PBSP use and potential role in the promotion of healthy weight. An 8-month follow-up cross-sectional study (September 2010-April 2011) was carried out among undergraduate students during the first season of implementation of the PBSP in Valencia, Spain. The sample was 173 students (68.2% female) with a mean age of 21.3 years (SD 3.06) who attended a PBSP promotional session. The data were collected by questionnaire. Results indicated a significant increase of 14.6% in the action/maintenance stage of change and showed that 19% of the participants were PBSP users 8 months later. The behavioral stage did not change when students always had access to car/motorbike, lived further than 5 km from the university and had no bicycle stations within 250 m from home. Those most likely to start using PBSP were students who were in the contemplation stage, perceived fewer environmental and safety barriers to active commuting and had one or more stations within 250 m of home. PBSP users expended ∼257 metabolic equivalent·minutes/week bicycling to university, and there was a small reduction in BMI. Findings suggest that PBSPs can be considered as useful promoters of cycling behavior and may contribute to weight control in university students.

Bikeshare Use in Urban Communities: Individual and Neighborhood Factors

“…With an exponential growth in cities [41][42][43][44] and a positive health impact on weight, 35,42 stress, 35 and mortality, 11 bikeshare programs are a potential solution for improved quality of life in low-income urban communities. …”

Investigating Impacts of Environmental Factors on the Cycling Behavior of Bicycle-Sharing Users

“…For instance, in the UK, the USA, and Australia, BSS riders are on average disproportionately of higher education and income, and more likely to be male and white [31]. Therefore, in very recent years, some studies started to investigate the impact of environmental factors on the cycling behavior of BSS users [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. For instance, some studies uncover that proximity to workplace or home tends to increase the usage of BSS [33][34][35], and high population and high levels of public transit accessibility also tend to increase the usage of BSS [36][37][38].…”

“…Therefore, in very recent years, some studies started to investigate the impact of environmental factors on the cycling behavior of BSS users [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. For instance, some studies uncover that proximity to workplace or home tends to increase the usage of BSS [33][34][35], and high population and high levels of public transit accessibility also tend to increase the usage of BSS [36][37][38]. More importantly, improvement on bicycle facilities (bicycle lanes or bicycle paths) seems to increase bicycle sharing ridership [36,37,39,40].…”

El rol de la universidad en la prevención de la obesidad

“…Se ha demostrado la efectividad de múltiples intervenciones para la prevención y el control de obesidad como ir de bicicleta a la universidad o realizar programas de ejercicio aeróbico (Tae-bo) 60 min al día 3 veces por semana, logrando reducciones significativas en peso (35)(36), las cuales son susceptibles de ser replicadas en otras instituciones educativas. En poblaciones colombianas, Prieto et al Demostró que la deficiencia de una política pública en conjunto con una deficiente conformación de espacios que induzcan a la práctica de actividad física y bajas oportunidades de esparcimiento y recreación, eran determinantes principales para la práctica deportiva (37).…”

“…La transición de bachillerato a la universidad es una de las transiciones más importantes de la vida, y es usualmente caracterizada por disminución de la actividad física (5)(6)(7). Además, tienen influencia otros factores sociológicos y culturales, abandono del hogar familiar, que repercuten directamente sobre los hábitos alimentarios, que en muchos casos se mantendrán el resto de la vida (8)(9)(10).…”