Bas de Geus

Catholic University of Louvain | UCLouvain · FSM - IACCHOS

Humans have the ability to mentally project themselves into future events (prospective thinking) to promote the implementation of health-oriented behaviors, such as the planning of daily physical exercise sessions. Nevertheless, it is currently unclear whether and how prospective thinking can assist individuals in generating future predictions abou...

Humans have the ability to mentally project themselves into future events (prospective thinking) to promote the implementation of health-oriented behaviors, such as the planning of daily physical exercise sessions. Nevertheless, it is currently unclear whether and how prospective thinking can assist individuals in generating future predictions abou...

This Data in Brief (DiB) article presents the differences in cycling behaviors related to violations, errors, and positive behaviors by region. The study data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire applied to a full sample of 7,001 participants from 19 countries, distributed over 5 continents. This paper proposes descriptive statisti...

Introduction: Although risky cycling behaviour (RCB) has been systematically linked with trip-related factors, no previous research has simultaneously investigated the influence of cycling frequency, car use frequency and trait anger on it. Further, the idea that cycling anger experiences and expressions might mediate the relations between these co...

Background Cycling for transportation and recreation is gaining in popularity, especially in older age groups. The rise in electric assisted cycles (EAC) may also have a role to play in this. With an increase in the number of cyclists comes an increase in the prevalence of cycle crashes. However, there is a lack of knowledge on EAC crashes and cras...

A modal shift to electric pedal-assisted cycles (EPACs) can help with reaching the transport emission goals of the European Green Deal. With the rising sales of EPACs in Europe, a lack of appropriate (electric) cycling infrastructure remains a major barrier for many potential users. This paper discusses the results of a survey about the requirement...

The current prospective observational study among Flemish and Dutch older adults aimed to examine the effects of starting to e-bike on total and conventional biking frequencies, walking for transport, self-rated health, functionality and life space area. We observed a large increase in total biking frequency among those who started e-biking, while...

Introduction E-cycles may offer an opportunity to increase cycling levels. However, experimental findings should be complemented with longitudinal observational studies examining the effects of starting to e-cycle on cycling levels in real-life settings. The current study among Flemish and Dutch middle-aged and older adults (≥45 years) aimed to com...

Background Differences in physical effort between cycling for transportation on an electric-assisted cycle (EAC) and a conventional cycle (CC) were previously studied. The effect of cycle type on respiratory ventilation and inhaled air pollution dose remains unclear. Objective The first aim was to predict respiratory ventilation while cycling on a...

Introduction: During the last few years, the use of behavioral questionnaires for assessing risky behaviors of road users different from motor-vehicle drivers has grown considerably in applied research for road safety. In this regard, recent tools such as the Cycling Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) are gaining ground, being adapted and tested in furth...

High pre-World-War-2 modal shares of cycling in European countries sharply decreased during the post-war decades. In the 1990s, European governments introduced policies to increase bicycle use. However, a database or longitudinal study on the development of bicycle use in European countries is lacking. The goal of this paper is to examine to what d...

In 2013, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) prohibited the use of headguards for elite male Olympic boxing competitions. Could the removal of the headguard from elite male boxing competitions potentially cause increased injury risk for boxers? The aim of the literature review is to analyse current knowledge about the use of protective head...

Introduction The lateral clearance distance of a motorized vehicle while overtaking a cyclist is a key indicator of safety. This lateral clearance distance has never been measured for cyclists transporting a child. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the behaviour of motorized vehicles in overtaking cyclists with and without a child...

Several studies have focused on the perceived risk of bicycle crashes (irrespective of crash types) and concluded that cycling near high volumes of motor vehicles deters people from cycling. The perceived risk of bicycle crash types (with or without motor vehicles) has not yet been studied. Cyclists, both in countries with low and high levels of cy...

Cahiers de l'Observatoire de la mobilité de la Région Bruxelles-Capitale, 2020 Ce septième Cahier vient compléter la collection des Cahiers de l’Observatoire de la mobilité de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale (RBC). Après avoir traité de l’offre de transport, des pratiques de déplacement en général et de celles liées au travail et à l’école en parti...

The promotion of sustainable and healthy mobility among older adults (≥ 65 years) is an important challenge. E-bikes may be part of the solution, but research about e-bike use among older adults is scarce. The current study aims to examine e-bikes’ purchase reasons, benefits and disadvantages, purposes and amount of use, substitution effects and cr...

Robot-assisted overground walking (RAOW) may facilitate walking aerobic exercise in nonambulatory stroke survivors. The aims of this study were to investigate the physiological responses and perceived exertion during RAOW in persons with stroke and to compare the exercise intensity to aerobic exercise guidelines for stroke survivors. Ten nonambulat...

Purpose: To examine physiological responses and perceived exertion during robot-assisted treadmill walking in non-ambulatory stroke survivors; compare these outcomes with aerobic exercise recommendations; and investigate the effect of robotic assistance. Materials and methods: Twelve non-ambulatory stroke survivors (67 ± 11 years-old, 84 ± 38 d pos...

Purpose Conventional and electric bicycles (e-bikes) offer a non-polluting and physically-active alternative to cars to support older adults’ access to different life spaces. We aimed to provide an initial exploration of the relationship between cycling status (non-cyclist, conventional cyclist or e-biker) and life space area. Additionally, we exam...

Introduction: Cycling is a non-polluting and healthy transportation mode for older adults. However, there is limited knowledge about the infrastructural changes necessary to stimulate cycling among older adults (≥65 years). This is particularly true for electric cycling (e-biking), an increasingly popular form of cycling. The current experiment wit...

This study examines which psychosocial and environmental factors are associated with cycling in the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) and whether these associations differ between those who never cycle for transport purposes (Non-cyclists) and those who used the bicycle at least once a week in the previous 6 months (Cyclists). Adults (18–65 year; N=503...

2nd Highest Scoring Abstract: Post Doctoral/Early Career Background E-bikes, bikes with a battery-driven motor providing supporting power only when the cyclist exerts power onto the pedals, are very popular in several countries around the world. E-bikes are particularly popular among older adults (≥ 65 years) with e-bike trips constituting 25% of...

Background Given that functional capacity (including leg strength, balance and reaction speeds) decreases with age, older adults may have different needs when cycling for transport compared to younger age groups. However, only a few studies have examined the environmental factors related to older adults’ cycling for transport. Studies on the relati...

2nd Highest Scoring Abstract: Post Doctoral/Early Career Background E-bikes, bikes with a battery-driven motor providing supporting power only when the cyclist exerts power onto the pedals, are very popular in several countries around the world. E-bikes are particularly popular among older adults (≥ 65 years) with e-bike trips constituting 25% of...

Cycling is an environment-friendly transport mode that entails several health and mobility benefits for older adults. This chapter aims to summarize the available evidence about the health benefits, prevalence and individual and environmental determinants of cycling for transport among older adults. It also provides an overview of bicycle crash sta...

Purpose: Electric bicycles (e-bikes) may offer an opportunity to stimulate physical activity among older adults. The current study compared Flemish (Belgian) older e-bike users against those not using an e-bike on socio-demographics, health characteristics and access to motorized transport. Additionally, it examined the association between e-bike...

Installing cycling infrastructure well-separated from motorized traffic is hypothesized to increase children's transportation cycling. However, in some streets it may not be possible to install such cycling paths (e.g. due to financial or space constraints). The current paper investigates which physical factors could increase parents' perceptions o...

Cycling for transport offers an opportunity to promote active and sustainable mobility among the growing population of older adults. However, only a few studies examined how environmental factors may promote cycling for transport among older adults. Purposeful convenience sampling was used to recruit 40 older adults in Flanders, Belgium. Researcher...

Résumé. La pollution de l’air reste un problème crucial de santé publique, mais aussi un problème environnemental, politique et socio-économique. La question n’est plus, aujourd’hui de savoir si l’air de Bruxelles est pollué, mais plutôt à quel point il l’est et quelles en sont les conséquences. Dans ce contexte, la discussion sur les impacts de la...

Encouraging sustainable travel behavior in emerging adults is important because this transport choice might persist into adulthood. However, research on transport habits in emerging adulthood is scarce. This study aimed to examine potential differences in walking, cycling, car use and public transport use between three groups of emerging adults (se...

Background This study aimed to examine potential differences in walking, cycling, public transport and passive transport (car/moped/motorcycle) to work and to other destinations between college and non-college educated working young adults. Secondly, we aimed to investigate which psychosocial and environmental factors are associated with the four t...

Data obtained from the online questionnaire. (XLSX)

Objectives: To investigate the use of bike desks in an office setting and office workers' experiences of bike desks. Study design: Mixed-method study; quantitative data of cycling desk use in combination with qualitative data of users' experience were obtained via questionnaires. Methods: Bike desks were provided in an office setting during a...

Background: Physical activity is positively associated with physical health, cognitive performance, brain functioning and academic performance. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of bike desks in the classroom on adolescents' energy expenditure, physical health, cognitive performance, brain functioning and academic performance....

Background: Active transport has great potential to increase physical activity in older adolescents (17-18 years). Therefore, a theory- and evidence-based intervention was developed aiming to promote active transport among older adolescents. The intervention aimed to influence psychosocial factors of active transport since this is the first step i...

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal effect of implementing bike desks in an office setting on physical health, cognition, and work parameters. Methods: Physical health, cognitive function, work engagement, and work performance measured before (T0) and after (T2) the intervention period were compared between office wo...

Purpose Cycling desks as a means to reduce sedentary time in the office has gained interest as excessive sitting has been associated with several health risks. However, the question rises if people will still be as efficient in performing their desk-based office work when combining this with stationary cycling. Therefore, the effect of cycling at 3...

Objectives: To assess the associations of socio-ecological factors with independent mobility for transportation cycling among 10-to-12-year-old boys and girls. Additionally, we examined whether associations differed across family socio-economic status (SES) and urbanization level. Design: Cross-sectional survey Methods: Parents (n=1286) were recru...

Background: Active transport is a convenient way to incorporate physical activity in adolescents' daily life. The present study aimed to investigate which psychosocial and environmental factors are associated with walking, cycling, public transport (train, tram, bus, metro) and passive transport (car, motorcycle, moped) over short distances (maxim...

Raw data obtained from the online questionnaire. (XLSX)

Increasing participation in transportation cycling represents a useful strategy for increasing children's physical activity levels. Knowledge on how to design environments to encourage adoption and maintenance of transportation cycling is limited and relies mainly on observational studies. The current study experimentally investigates the relative...

Abstract Background: Int Panis et al. (2009) concluded that cyclists are much more exposed to air pollution compared to car passengers, due to higher ventilation. The VE for cyclists was found to be 4.3 times higher than for car passengers. We dig further into this high ratio, wondering if the high exposure is due to the speed at which the cyclist...

Abstract Accident rates are usually compiled from hospital and police reports. These data are fairly accurate for major and fatal accidents or accidents that include motorized vehicles. However, statistics on minor cycling accidents are incomplete and inaccurate. When it comes to assessing accident risk, an exposure metric (time or distance cycled)...

Background: Cycling, as an active mode of transportation, has well-established health benefits. However, the safety of cyclists in traffic remains a major concern. In-depth studies of potential risk factors and safety outcomes are needed to ensure the most appropriate actions are taken to improve safety. However, the lack of reliable exposure data...

To determine the use of cycling workstations in public places; how long are they used, who uses them, and why do people use them. Mixed methods study; observations in combination with questionnaires. Cycling desks with a charging feature (We-bike) at Brussels National Airport and Brussels South railway station were observed. Data about the number o...

Many children worldwide fail to meet physical activity recommendations. Promoting active transport and independent mobility is a potential solution for integrating physical activity into children’s daily life. Development of interventions aiming to increase these behaviours requires an understanding of key determinants. Socio-ecological models sugg...

As physical activity levels decrease as children age, sustainable and accessible forms of physical activity are needed from a young age. Transportation cycling is one such physical activity and has been associated with many benefits. The aims of the study were to identify whether manipulating micro-environmental factors (e.g. speed limis, evenness...

Background Environmental factors are found to influence transport-related physical activity, but have rarely been studied in relation with cycling for transport to various destinations in 10–12 yr old children. The current qualitative study used ‘bike-along interviews’ with children and parents to allow discussion of detailed environmental factors...

Background: For an accurate estimation of health benefits and hazards of utilitarian cycling, a prospective collection of bicycle usage data (exposure) is fundamental. Individual and environmental correlates are necessary to guide health promotion and traffic safety issues. Firstly, this study aims to report on utilitarian bicycle usage in Belgium...

To study cyclists' share of transport modes (modal share) and single-bicycle crashes (SBCs) in different countries in order to investigate if the proportion of cyclist injuries resulting from SBCs is affected by variation in modal share. A literature search identified figures (largely from western countries) on SBC casualties who are fatally injure...

Abstract Electrically assisted bicycles (EAB) as a form of transport not only offer the potential to reduce energy use and environmental impact but could also be an effective way of encouraging active living. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of physical active commuting to work using an EAB, on physiological parameters in 20 unt...

Background Since a decline in activity levels occurs in adolescence, active transport could be important to increase daily physical activity in older adolescents (17–18 years). To promote active transport, it is necessary to be aware of the barriers and facilitators of this type of transport, but also of other transport modes. This study sought to...

Purpose: The aim of this systematic literature review was to outline the various preexperimental maximal cycle-test protocols, terminology, and performance indicators currently used to classify subject groups in sport-science research and to construct a classification system for cycling-related research. Methods: A database of 130 subject-group...

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into bicycle accidents. Bicycle accident data and weekly exposure data were prospectively collected for one year to calculate the incidence rate (IR) of bicycle accidents. An accident was included if it occurred during utilitarian cycling, resulting in an acute injury with corporal damage. If an accident...

Commuting by bike has a clear health enhancing effect. Moreover, regular exercise is known to improve brain plasticity, which results in enhanced cognition and memory performance. Animal research has clearly shown that exercise upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF - a neurotrophine) enhancing brain plasticity. Studies in humans found...

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of five different recovery strategies on repeated simulated time trial (TT) performance on a stationary cycle ergometer. Study 1 (n=8, male, club-level trained; V˙O2max: 56.9 ± 3.8 mL·min·kg) investigated the influence of passive rest with or without upper leg cooling (cooling device set at 0 °C...

The purpose of this study was to update the evidence on the health benefits of cycling. A systematic review of the literature resulted in 16 cycling-specific studies. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies showed a clear positive relationship between cycling and cardiorespiratory fitness in youths. Prospective observational studies demonstrated a...

This is the final report of the Belgian SHAPES project. It provides an overview of the work that the partners have done from 2007-2011 in the framework of the science for sustainable development programme of the Belgian federal Science Policy. In 2008-2009 several additional experiments have been carried out in a “cluster” project PM²TEN. The resul...

This is the final scientific report of the PM²TEN cluster project, a collaboration between SHAPES and PARHEALTH with links to ANIMO and SCOPE. The PM²TEN cluster has three major objectives: 1. the organisation of a scientific workshop enabling a peer review of the intermediary results of SHAPES and PARHEALTH by international experts 2. the planning...

The health enhancing effects of regular bicycling (e.g. commuter cycling) are well known, however this health benefit has also a negative aspect especially when safety is neglected. Bicyclists have a higher risk of being injured than any other group of road users. They are “unprotected” in traffic, despite being capable of reaching high speeds. Thi...

Minor bicycle accidents are defined as "bicycle accidents not involving death or heavily injured persons, implying that possible hospital visits last less than 24 hours". Statistics about these accidents and related injuries are very poor, because they are mostly not reported to police, hospitals or insurance companies. Yet, they form a major share...

Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated adverse health effects of a sedentary life style, on the one hand, and of acute and chronic exposure to traffic-related air pollution, on the other. Because physical exercise augments the amount of inhaled pollutants, it is not clear whether cycling to work in a polluted urban environment should be...

Commuter cyclists experience short episodes of high exposure to traffic born air pollution that have potential adverse health effects. We have compared respiratory parameters and exposure to Ultrafine Particles, PM2.5 and PM10 for 55 persons who cycled and drove identical trajectories in three Belgian locations in a pair-wise design. Differences in...