US study finds that cycling programmes at school boost mental health

A study from California has found that in-school programmes that promote cycling boost the mental health of students who participate in them.

The study was undertaken by researchers at the health sciences-focused Loma Linda University in San Bernadino County, southern California.

With one in six children of school age in the United States diagnosed with a mental disorder, the study sought to determine the benefits of formal cycling programmes at schools.

It found that among the 1,200 middle school children – aged 11 to 14 – who participated in the study, taking part in cycling programmes was beneficial to their psychosocial wellbeing, in line with the findings from studies elsewhere that have established a positive link between riding a bike and mental wellbeing.

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Participants in the study in California completed surveys before and after taking part in programmes drawn up by not-for-profit organisation Outride, which provides training within local schools through its Riding for Focus (R4F) initiative.

The courses aim to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to ride a bike confidently, as well as introducing them to getting physically active.

The surveys conducted before and after participation were aimed at assessing the mental wellbeing and physiological functioning of those taking part in the programmes, which were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the results described as “promising.”

Fletcher Dementyev, an undergraduate research fellow at Loma Linda University School of Medicine Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, who led the study, said that students had welcomed the opportunity to participate in the programme and had benefited from it.

“It was really encouraging to see such a positive student response to a cycling-specific physical education programme,” he said.

“This motivates us, and hopefully others, to continue investigating and developing cycling as a pathway to improved health and well-being in adolescents.”

The study also addressed a number of broader social factors that could affect participants’ physical and mental wellbeing both before and after they took part in the programme, as outlined by senior author Sean Wilson, PhD, professor of basic sciences in the Lawrence D. Longo Center for Perinatal Biology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.  

“We focused on a number of key risk factors that affect mental health and well-being in middle school-aged children in the U.S., including socio-economic status, gender, and race,” he explained.

The authors did highlight certain limitations to their study, including that the subjects of their research differed in profile to the general student population at national level, although they believe that the results can nevertheless prompt a debate about the benefits of cycling within schools.

“Our results, though insightful, aren’t fully reflective of the national youth physical education context,” Dementyev said.

“We see this study as the beginning of a national dialogue surrounding investment in cycling education and its potential returns,” he added.

Dr Esther Walker, Senior Research Manager at Outride, said: “Programme data shows that access to bikes at home, as well as safe places to ride, is not equitable across the student population, and so providing access to such a programme during the school day gives everyone the opportunity to learn a skill they can use throughout their life.”

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The full study has been published in the October 2023 issue of the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, and can be accessed here.