The use of bicycles in Japan
The bicycle is one of the most used means of transport in the world. When we talk about countries where these two wheels are present in numbers, it's hard not to mention the Netherlands first. But another country also stands out in cycling culture: Japan.
According to a report carried out by the International Transport Forum in 2017, the Japan has approximately 1 bicycle per 1.5 inhabitants (approximately 0.67 bicycles per person). In France for example, there are around 0.46 bicycles per person, according to a survey by the Ministry of Ecological Transition dating from 2024.
Cycling is often seen as a way to get around in a more ecological and environmentally friendly way, but also as a healthy habit that allows you to stay in good health. A new study provides more detail on the impact of cycling among older people.
A ten-year follow-up
A research team from the University of Tsukuba (Japan) carried out a long-term study to understand and actually observe the effects of regular cycling on the health of older people.
To do this, the researchers carried out two analyzes using data from nearly 10 000 elderly people (whose age was not explicitly revealed), from a postal survey carried out in the town of Kasama. The first studied the frequency of practice in 2013 and its link with long-term care needs or death until 2023.
The second compared different profiles of bicycle use (non-use, start, stop, continuation) and their impact on health in 2013 and 2017, with a specific study on elderly people who do not drive.
The results obtained following these analyzes were published on March 20, 2025 in journal Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behavior.
Lower risk of long-term care and death
For the first analysis, researchers observed that older adults who cycled had a reduced risk of needing long-term care and death over ten years. A reduction in risk was even more marked among people not driving.
The second analysis showed that continued cycling was also beneficial. Indeed, older people who continued to cycle for four years between 2013 and 2017 also had a lower risk of requiring long-term care and mortality over the following six years, compared to those who did not.
As you will have understood, cycling among elderly people who, at the same time, do not drive, allows them to have better health, and to see their risk of death be reduced.
Source: SciTechDaily
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