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Factors associated with bicycle use for commuting and for leisure among Brazilian workers

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of cycling for commuting and for leisure among Brazilian workers, and analysis possible differences in sociodemographic characteristics between the cycling in commuting and leisure.

Methods

It was performed a secondary analysis of the survey "Lifestyle and leisure habits of industry workers" (n = 47,477) carried out in 24 Brazilian states, from 2006 to 2008. The use of bicycles for commuting to work and as main physical activity in leisure time as well as sociodemographic variables, were self-reported. We performed Poisson regression models.

Results

There was higher prevalence of cycling for commuting to work (15.7%; 95% CI 15.4%, 16.1%) than for leisure (3.6%; 95% CI 3.4%, 3.7%). Regarding commuting, bicycle use higher in men, younger workers and residents of the North region. Concerning leisure time, the use was greater among men and residents of the Midwest.

Conclusion

Overall, the prevalence of cycling was higher among workers with less education and lower gross family income. The prevalence of cycling among Brazilian industry workers is low and tends to decrease with increasing education and income, especially in the context of commuting. We suggest that cycling is part of the routine of those who need to use it, not of those who choose to do so.

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Acknowledgement

This study was derived from the “Lifestyle and Leisure Habits of Industrial Workers” survey, which was developed through a partnership between the Brazilian Social Service for Industry (SESI) and the authors’ research team. The survey received logistical and financial support from the SESI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Santa Catarina Sports Center, Campus Universitário Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, Centro de Desportos, Florianópolis, SC, CEP: 88040-900, Brazil

    Alexsandra da Silva Bandeira, Kelly Samara da Silva, Giovâni Firpo Del Duca, Geyson Ricardo Zilch & Markus Vinicius Nahas

  2. University of Pernambuco, Rua Arnóbio Marques, 310, Santo Amaro, Recife, PE, CEP: 50100130, Brazil

    Elusa Santina Antunes de Oliveira & Mauro Virgílio Gomes de Barros

Authors
  1. Alexsandra da Silva Bandeira
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  2. Kelly Samara da Silva
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  3. Giovâni Firpo Del Duca
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  4. Geyson Ricardo Zilch
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  5. Elusa Santina Antunes de Oliveira
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  6. Mauro Virgílio Gomes de Barros
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  7. Markus Vinicius Nahas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexsandra da Silva Bandeira.

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Funding

The survey received logistical and financial support from the Brazilian Social Service for Industry (SESI).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that this manuscript has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere, and the authors state that there is no potential conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (register number 306/05 and 099/2007) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. All workers were informed of the voluntary nature of participation in the research and that their responses would be kept confidential, without any identification of the respondents.

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Bandeira, A.d.S., da Silva, K.S., Del Duca, G.F. et al. Factors associated with bicycle use for commuting and for leisure among Brazilian workers. Sport Sci Health 13, 63–68 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-017-0350-0

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