Becker L, Sieber C, Rohleder N, Freiberger E, Kob R, Britting S (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2025
DOI: 10.1177/07334648251316950
One possibility for maintaining mobility in older age is cycling. We investigated the impact of the multicomponent “Safer Cycling in Older Age” (SiFAr) intervention on psychological and physiological stress. Participants were 98 community-dwelling older adults (73.4 ± 5.4 years). Bedtime cortisol, hair cortisol concentrations, and C-reactive protein were measured before and after the 8-week SiFAr intervention and at follow-up. Additionally, acute stress responses were assessed during the second and seventh training sessions using salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol assessments. We found a decrease in acute perceived stress, anxiety, fear of falling, and uncertainty during the cycling trainings. Moreover, long-term perceived stress significantly decreased. No significant changes were found for any of the physiological stress measures. We conclude that cycling had a positive impact on perceived stress and wellbeing. Further research with more intense trainings is needed to fully understand the associations between cycling in older age and physiological stress.
APA:
Becker, L., Sieber, C., Rohleder, N., Freiberger, E., Kob, R., & Britting, S. (2025). Physiological Stress in Safer Cycling in Older Age (SiFAr-Stress): A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Applied Gerontology. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648251316950
MLA:
Becker, Linda, et al. "Physiological Stress in Safer Cycling in Older Age (SiFAr-Stress): A Randomized Controlled Trial." Journal of Applied Gerontology (2025).
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