Outdoor cycling competence and balance control in older adults - cross-sectional analysis of the BiPerAge trial.
Jana Rogler, Sebastian Krumpoch, Ellen Freiberger et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This exploratory cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from a two-center randomized controlled trial to examine balance and outdoor cycling competence in 116 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years who made at least three errors on a standardized cycling course. Participants averaged 13.1 ± 8.0 course errors. After adjustment for age, sex and country, longer Four Square Step Test time (B = 1.28 [95% CI 0.39, 2.17], p = 0.005) and greater mediolateral trunk sway during unperturbed stationary cycling (B = 2.68 [0.60, 4.77], p = 0.012) were independently associated with more errors.
Key findings
- Longer Four Square Step Test time was independently associated with more outdoor cycling errors (B = 1.28 [95% CI 0.39, 2.17], p = 0.005).
- Greater mediolateral trunk sway during unperturbed stationary cycling was independently associated with more cycling errors (B = 2.68 [0.60, 4.77], p = 0.012).
- In bivariate analyses, more errors were weakly associated with slower gait speed, more MBESS errors, greater unperturbed trunk sway, shorter time-to-peak angle and lower sway during perturbed cycling.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that dynamic balance measures, including performance on a stepping test and trunk control while cycling, may help characterize cycling competence in older adults. The associations were weak and do not establish that balance deficits cause cycling errors, but they identify balance domains that could be examined in future assessment and training research.
What to keep in mind
The analysis was cross-sectional and exploratory, so it cannot establish causality. Participants were community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years who had already made at least three errors on the cycling course, limiting the population represented.