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Cycling for Transport Among Older Adults: Health Benefits, Prevalence, Determinants, Injuries and the Potential of E-bikes

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Geographies of Transport and Ageing

Abstract

Cycling is an environment-friendly transport mode that entails several health and mobility benefits for older adults. This chapter aims to summarize the available evidence about the health benefits, prevalence and individual and environmental determinants of cycling for transport among older adults. It also provides an overview of bicycle crash statistics and characteristics among older adults. Increasing perceptions of safety appears to be key to stimulate cycling among older adults, and increasing actual safety is needed to reduce the burden of cycling-related injuries. Finally, this chapter examines the potential of e-bikes, an emergent technology that is gaining popularity in some parts of the world. E-bikes may lower some of the cycling barriers, but more research about their safety and contribution to mobility is needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Jelle Van Cauwenberg & Benedicte Deforche

  2. Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium

    Jelle Van Cauwenberg

  3. Human Physiology Research Group, Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Bas de Geus & Benedicte Deforche

Authors
  1. Jelle Van Cauwenberg
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  2. Bas de Geus
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  3. Benedicte Deforche
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Correspondence to Jelle Van Cauwenberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Angela Curl

  2. Centre for Innovative Ageing, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom

    Charles Musselwhite

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Van Cauwenberg, J., de Geus, B., Deforche, B. (2018). Cycling for Transport Among Older Adults: Health Benefits, Prevalence, Determinants, Injuries and the Potential of E-bikes. In: Curl, A., Musselwhite, C. (eds) Geographies of Transport and Ageing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76360-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76360-6_6

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76360-6

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