Introduction:
Bicycling to work is a mode of transportation that provides regular physical activity and has been associated with mental and physical well-being. Limited research has examined what facilities, such as bike racks, and policies within the workplace are associated with bicycling to work.
Hypothesis:
Access to workplace facilities and policies will be associated with higher odds of bicycling to work.
Methods:
In 2016/17, a convenience sample of adult residents of Travis County (Austin), Texas, and Jefferson County (Birmingham), Alabama who had ridden a bicycle at least once in the past year responded to an Internet-based questionnaire assessing correlates of bicycling. Participants who self-reported that a purpose of their bicycle trips was commuting to/from work were categorized as a bicycle commuter. Workplace facilities/policies included (a) bicycle lockers, (b) locked rooms/cages, (c) clothes storage, (d) bike racks, (e) showers, and (f) policies that supported bicycling to work. A summary score ordinal variable, (g) total facilitators, was derived by adding the total number of reported policies/facilities per participant. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for age, race, education, income, number of motor vehicles, relationship status, children in household, and sex were used to estimate the association between individual workplace facilities and policies, as well as total facilitators, and bicycle commuting. Interactions were tested between sex and each of the workplace variables. Analyses was limited to participants who were employed.
Results:
The final analytic sample was 771; 45% were categorized as a bicycle commuter (n=344). Access to workplace facilities/policies ranged from 7% (bike lockers) to 50% (bike racks). Bike lockers (OR 5.6; 95% CI 4.5,6.8), locked rooms/cages, (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.4, 3.3), clothes storage (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.5, 2.7), bike racks (OR 3.2; 95% CI 3.0, 3.3), and policies that supported bicycling to work (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.5, 4.4) were associated with significantly higher odds of being a bicycle commuter. Only showers in the workplace showed a significant interaction by sex; showers were directly associated with being a bicycle commuter for males (OR 2.1; 95% CI 2.0, 2.1), but inversely associated with being a bicycle commuter for females (OR 0.9; 95% CI 0.8, 0.9). As compared to no facilitators, having 1 facilitator was associated with 2.1 times higher odds (95% CI 1.8, 2.6), 2 facilitators with 3.1 times higher odds (95% CI 2.1, 4.5), 3 facilitators with 4.4 times higher odds (95% CI 4.2, 4.8), and 4 or more facilitators with 7.9 times higher odds of being a bicycle commuter (95% CI 7.0, 9.0).
Conclusions:
The presence of workplace facilities/policies is associated with higher odds of bicycling to work. Workplaces should consider how the institutional environment can promote active transportation, and, in turn, employee health.
Social Psychological Determinants of Bicycle Commuting in Russia: An Empirical Examination of the Model of Goal-Directed Behavior
