Browsing by Author "Laukkanen, Arto"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- How learning to cycle influences lifestyle: an eight country pooled analysis and person-centered approachPublication . Estevan, Isaac; Meester, An De; Veldman, Sanne L.C.; Lopes, Frederico; Hasanen, Elina; Laukkanen, Arto; Tortella, Patrizia; Sá, Cristina; Jidovtseff, Boris; Fujikawa, Ricardo; García-Massó, Xavier; Cordovil, Rita; Branco, Marco; Mercê, Cristiana; Catela, DavidCycling plays a key role in the promotion of individual, community, and planetary health. However, no previous study has explored the interplay between the process of learning to cycle and cycling habits, adopting a person-centered approach. To understand which variables promote the learning process (i.e., acquisition) and lifelong bicycle use on a daily and recreational basis (i.e., engagement), the aim of this study was to identify different clusters of individuals with similar characteristics related to their cycling acquisition and engagement. Methods: A cross-country pooled sample of 8542 individuals aged 28.9 ± 14.4 years (58.5 % female) was assessed via online questionnaire. A Self-Organizing Map (SOM) was used to classify and visualize the values of individuals in the variables tested. Results: A K-means cluster analysis resulted in seven profiles. Participants in profiles characterized by a relatively old age to learn to cycle (i.e., 7-8 years-old; n > 1500 mainly from Mexico and the United Kingdom) typically learned to cycle on a conventional bicycle, were taught by their father, mother, or both, and mainly cycle for leisure. Participants in profiles characterized by a relatively young age to learn to cycle (i.e., 5 years old; n > 1500 mainly from Belgium and Finland)
- Learning to cycle: a cross-cultural and cross-generational comparisonPublication . Cordovil, R.; Mercê, Cristiana; Branco, Marco A. C.; Lopes, Frederico; Catela, David; Hasanen, Elina; Laukkanen, Arto; TORTELLA, Patrizia; Fumagalli, Guido; Sá, Cristina; Jidovtseff, Boris; Zeuwts, Linus; De Meester, An; Bardid, Farid; Fujikawa, Ricardo; Veldman, Sanne LC; Zlatar, Silvija; Estevan, IsaacBackground: Learning to cycle is an important milestone for children, but the popularity of cycling and the environmental factors that promote the development and practice of this foundational movement skill vary among cultures and across time. This present study aimed to investigate if country of residence and the generation in which a person was born influence the age at which people learn to cycle. Methods: Data were collected through an online survey between November 2019 and December 2020. For this study, a total of 9,589 responses were obtained for adults (self-report) and children (parental report) living in 10 countries (Portugal, Italy, Brazil, Finland, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, Mexico, Croatia, and the Netherlands). Participants were grouped according to their year of birth with 20-year periods approximately corresponding to 3 generations: 1960–79 (generation X; n = 2,214); 1980–99 (generation Y; n = 3,994); 2000–2019 (generation Z; n = 3,381). Results: A two-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of country, F(9,8628) = 90.17, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.086, and generation, F(2,8628) = 47.21, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.122, on the age at which individuals learn to cycle. Countries with the lowest learning age were the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium and countries with the highest learning age were Brazil and Mexico. Furthermore, the age at which one learns to cycle has decreased across generations. There was also a significant country x generation interaction effect on learning age, F(18,8628) = 2.90, p < 0.001; however, this effect was negligible (η2p = 0.006). Conclusions: These findings support the socio-ecological perspective that learning to cycle is a process affected by both proximal and distal influences, including individual, environment and time.