Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines

Stenner, Hedwig T.; Boyen, Johanna; Hein, Markus; Protte, Gudrun; Kück, Momme; Finkel, Armin; Hanke, Alexander A.; Tegtbur, Uwe

doi:10.3390/ijerph17134807

Open AccessArticle

Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines

by

Hedwig T. Stenner

^*

,

Johanna Boyen

,

Markus Hein

,

Gudrun Protte

,

Momme Kück

,

Armin Finkel

,

Alexander A. Hanke

and

Uwe Tegtbur

Institute of Sports Medicine, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hanover, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(13), 4807; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134807

Submission received: 15 May 2020 / Revised: 29 June 2020 / Accepted: 30 June 2020 / Published: 3 July 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Commuting and Active Transportation)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

Pedelecs (e-bikes with electrical support up to 25 km·h⁻¹) are important in active transportation. Yet, little is known about physiological responses during their everyday use. We compared daily pedelec (P) and bicycle (B) use to determine if pedelecs are a suitable tool to enhance physical activity. In 101 employees, cycling duration and intensity, heart rate (HR) during P and B were recorded via a smartphone app. Each recording period was a randomized crossover design and lasted two weeks. The ride quantity was higher in P compared to B (5.3 ± 4.3 vs. 3.2 ± 4.0 rides·wk⁻¹; p < 0.001) resulting in a higher total cycling time per week for P (174 ± 146 min·wk⁻¹) compared to B (99 ± 109 min·wk⁻¹; p < 0.001). The mean HR during P was lower than B (109 ± 14 vs. 118 ± 17 bpm; p < 0.001). The perceived exertion was lower in P (11.7 ± 1.8 vs. 12.8 ± 2.1 in B; p < 0.001). The weekly energy expenditure was higher during P than B (717 ± 652 vs. 486 ± 557 metabolic equivalents of the task [MET]·min·wk⁻¹; p < 0.01). Due to a sufficient HR increase in P, pedelecs offer a more active form of transportation to enhance physical activity.

Keywords: active transportation; heart rate; pedelec; e-bike; cycling

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Stenner, H.T.; Boyen, J.; Hein, M.; Protte, G.; Kück, M.; Finkel, A.; Hanke, A.A.; Tegtbur, U. Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4807. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134807

AMA Style

Stenner HT, Boyen J, Hein M, Protte G, Kück M, Finkel A, Hanke AA, Tegtbur U. Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(13):4807. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134807

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stenner, Hedwig T., Johanna Boyen, Markus Hein, Gudrun Protte, Momme Kück, Armin Finkel, Alexander A. Hanke, and Uwe Tegtbur. 2020. "Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 13: 4807. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134807

APA Style

Stenner, H. T., Boyen, J., Hein, M., Protte, G., Kück, M., Finkel, A., Hanke, A. A., & Tegtbur, U. (2020). Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4807. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134807

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Everyday Pedelec Use and Its Effect on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI