Associations of public bicycle use with transport-related and leisure-time physical activity in Taiwanese adults

Background This study aimed to identify the cross-sectional associations of public bicycle use with physical activity during transport and leisure-time among Taiwanese adults. Methods A telephone interviewing and CATI survey was conducted to Taiwanese adults aged 20–64 years. Data on public bicycle use (nonpublic, nonregular public, and public bicycle users) and time spent engaging in transport-related and leisure-time physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long version) were obtained from 1068 adults in three urban cities. Results After adjustment for potential confounders, public bicycle users were found to be more likely to achieve 150 minutes of transport-related physical activity (OR = 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25–3.10) and leisure-time physical activity (OR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.14–2.81) than nonpublic bicycle users were. Discussion Public bicycle use is associated with achieving the recommended domain-specific physical activity levels. Encouraging public bicycle use is promising for encouraging adults to achieve health-enhancing levels of transport-related and leisure-time physical activity.