Health, bikes and e-bikes costs and benefits Ingrid J.M. Hendriksen - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Health, bikes and e-bikes

costs and benefits

Ingrid J.M. Hendriksen

• Bicycling to work decreased the risk of mortality (approximately 40%)

“All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work” (Andersen et al, 2000)

• Regular cycling improves physical fitness comparable to regular sports (13%)
• 3 km single trip distance is enough to improve physical fitness (untrained adults)

“The effect of commuter cycling on physical performance and on coronary heart disease” (Hendriksen et al, 2000)

• 26% of Dutch employees complies with PA guideline merely by commuter cycling

“Characteristics of a population of commuter cyclists in the Netherlands: perceived barriers and facilitators in the personal, social and physical environment” (Engbers & Hendriksen, 2010)

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Cycling and health

“Health benefits of cycling: a systematic review” (Oja et al, 2011)

• Clear positive relationship between cycling and cardiorespiratory fitness in youths
• Strong inverse relationship between commuter cycling and all-cause mortality,

cancer mortality, and cancer morbidity among middle-aged to elderly subjects

• Improvements in cardiovascular fitness and cardiovascular risk factors due to

commuting cycling

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Cycling and health

• 1. Cycling increases your fitness
• 2. Cycling helps keep your weight down
• 3. Regular cycling makes you feel good
• 4. Cyclists stay healthy longer and live longer
• 5. Cycling is easy and convenient
• 6. More cycling means cleaner air in your immediate environment
• 7. Cycling helps to reduce noise levels
• 8. Cycling provides better access on short journeys (fewer traffic jams, better

traffic flow, fewer parking problems)

• 9. Cycling is cheap

10.More cycling is good for the environment (fewer greenhouse gas emissions)

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10 arguments in favor of cycling

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Sickness absence

The association between commuter cycling and sickness absence”

(Hendriksen et al, 2010) Cross-sectional study; self report questionnaire, company records on sickness absence

Cyclists (n=785) Non-cyclists (n=451) Sickness absence rate (days) 7.4 (12.1) 8.7 (12.5) Sickness absence frequency (times) 1.4 (1.6) 1.7 (1.7)

• Regular cyclists had significantly

lower rates of absenteeism

• Dose - response relationship:

more often + longer distance > lower rate of absenteeism

If the number of employees cycling to work were to increase by 1%, this regular cycling to work would deliver Dutch employers a cost-reduction of around 27 million euro per year

(based on a working population of about 7.4 million people and an average cost of € 368,- per working day of absenteeism)

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Sickness absence

WHO/Europe Health Economic Assessment Tool

http://www.euro.who.int/HEAT

Designed to help you to conduct an economic assessment of the health benefits of cycling by estimating the value of reduced mortality that results from specified amounts of cycling

• when planning a new piece of cycling or walking infrastructure
• to value the reduced mortality from past and/or current levels of cycling
• to provide input into more comprehensive cost-benefit analyses, or prospective health impact assessments

HEAT for cycling calculates the answer to the following question: if x people cycle y distance on most days, what is the economic value of mortality rate improvements?

The Swedish Road Administration adopted HEAT for cycling as part of their official toolbox for the economic assessment of cycling infrastructure

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Cost-benefit

The mortality impact of bicycle paths and lanes related to physical activity, air pollution exposure and road safety (Schepers et al, 2015)

• Health economic benefits in the Netherlands (HEAT):

annual benefits of number of deaths prevented per year versus costs of reconstructing a road including maintenance, suggests a benefit-cost ratio around 5, i.e. every € 1,- invested in bicycle infrastructure returns about € 5,- in health benefit

• Introduction of bicycle paths/lanes is likely to be associated with health

benefits, primarily due to increased physical activity

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Cost-benefit study

The value of cycling:

Independent evidence review showing the economic value of investing in cycling infrastructure

UK Department for Transport, 27 March 2016

“Existing methods of appraisal do not incorporate the full extent of economic benefits associated with cycling”

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Cost-benefit paper

• Cyclists visit local shops more regularly, spending more than users of most other

modes of transport

• Cycle tourists on average spend more: around 9% per head per trip, or around £81 per

head per trip

• Children who cycle to school tend to be more attentive and achieve better results
• Cycle friendly environments promote more physical activity in later years
• Facilitation of cycling to work leads to lower staff turnover, reduces absenteeism and

boosts productivity

• A typical “cycling city” could be worth £377 million to the National Health Service in

healthcare cost savings, in 2011 prices

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Cost-benefit paper

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Electrically assisted bicycles (e-bike)

• Large increase in sales: almost 1/3 of new bikes (273.000 in 2015)
• Mainly elderly, but also commuters and cargo bikes

Potential of e-bike for meeting physical activity guidelines:

At least 5 times a week, 30 minutes of moderate intensity (>3 MET)

• 1. Intensity?
• 2. Distance and frequency?

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Health benefits of e-bike use

Pilot measuring intensity of cycling (Simons et al, 2009)

• 12 healthy, active adults
• circuit 4.3 km (regular speed)
• no, light, and strong pedal assist
• heart frequency and oxygen uptake

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Intensity of e-bike use

no light strong Intensity (MET) 6.1 5.7 5.2 Heart frequency (bpm) 124 116 112 Speed (km/hr) 19.6 21.1 23.4 Intensity high enough (> 3 MET) in all conditions ! Questions - well trained?

• pedal assist in daily use?

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Intensity of e-bike use

Results Dutch online survey (n=1448):

• cycling distance commuters increases with 50%

(6,3 km > 9,8 km)

• 3 - 5% increase in cycling frequency

(4-9% commuters, 3-4% older adults)

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Distance and frequency of e-bike use

Conclusion:

• 1. For most people intensity high enough at all support levels
• 2. Higher distance and frequency of cycling

Confirmed by several other studies > promote e-bike use !

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Health benefits of e-bike use

Concerns about risk of collision:

1. E-bike itself (heavier, higher speed) 2. Purchased mainly by elderly Dutch study:

• E-bike users are more likely to be involved in a collision requiring treatment at

an emergency department

• Severity is comparable to conventional bicycle accidents

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Safety aspects of e-bike use

• Former car commuters
• Commuting distance at least 5 km
• Signed agreement: 2 years e-bike use
• € 0.10 reward per km cycled to work
• Paid at the start to purchase the e-bike

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Promotion of sustained e-bike use

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Promotion of sustained e-bike use

• 150 mainly highly educated older men
• Average commuting distance 14.3 km, frequency 2.7/week
• Cycled about 75 km/week
• 90% used their EAB for commuting on most days after 1 year
• 11 minutes increase in average travelling time (27 > 38 min)

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Promotion of sustained e-bike use

• Compliance PA guideline almost doubled (47% > 93%)!
• Feel healthier + non-significant decrease BMI
• Most used support levels:
• 45% strong support
• 34% moderate support
• 20% light support
• 2%

no support

• Average cycling speed 24 km/hr

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Promotion of sustained e-bike use

Conclusion

• Sustained e-bike use for commuting purposes
• Commuting by car decreased and health indicators improved

(meeting PA guidelines, self-rated fitness & health) > is rewarding necessary to seduce car users to become sustained e-bike users for commuting purposes?

Promoting electric bikes and scooters for delivery of goods and passenger transport in urban areas

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PRO-E-BIKE project

for private and public bodies such as delivery companies, public administration and citizens in Europe as an alternative to ‘conventionally fossil fueled’ vehicles

• Swedish partner: East Sweden Energy Agency

successful pilot with home care services in Motola

• Simulation tool:

enable potential users to estimate costs and benefits that can result from introduction of e-bikes in their business

• www.pro-e-bike.org

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PRO-E-BIKE project

Project manager Randy Rzewnicki:

• E-bikes are saving money, time, and CO2 emissions for cities and

companies

• They are also increasing efficiency, productivity – and in some

cases, even providing new jobs

• https://ecf.com/

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PRO-E-BIKE project

Thank you for your attention!

Hendriksenijm@gmail.com