title: Can You Ride a Bicycle? The Ability to Ride a Bicycle Prevents Reduced Social Function in Older Adults With Mobility Limitation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The health benefits of bicycling in older adults with mobility limitation (ML) are unclear. We investigated ML and functional capacity of older cyclists by evaluating their instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), intellectual activity, and social function.
  
  
  METHODS
  On the basis of interviews, 614 community-dwelling older adults (after excluding 63 participants who never cycled) were classified as cyclists with ML, cyclists without ML, non-cyclists with ML (who ceased bicycling due to physical difficulties), or non-cyclists without ML (who ceased bicycling for other reasons). A cyclist was defined as a person who cycled at least a few times per month, and ML was defined as difficulty walking 1 km or climbing stairs without using a handrail. Functional capacity and physical ability were evaluated by standardized tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regular cycling was documented in 399 participants, and 74 of them (18.5%) had ML; among non-cyclists, 49 had ML, and 166 did not. Logistic regression analysis for evaluating the relationship between bicycling and functional capacity revealed that non-cyclists with ML were more likely to have reduced IADL and social function compared to cyclists with ML. However, logistic regression analysis also revealed that the risk of bicycle-related falls was significantly associated with ML among older cyclists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ability and opportunity to bicycle may prevent reduced IADL and social function in older adults with ML, although older adults with ML have a higher risk of falls during bicycling. It is important to develop a safe environment for bicycling for older adults.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Hideyo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukaya
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Hunkyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hirohiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Kazushige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Obuchi
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001642:Bicycling; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D058992:Social Participation