Bikeability and methodological issues using the active commuting route environment scale (ACRES) in a metropolitan setting

Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of advertisement-recruited and street-recruited participants

	Advertisement-recruited participants						Street-recruited participants
	Both I&S*		Only I*		Only S*
Characteristic	Women (n = 299-302)	Men (n = 249-253)	Women (n = 193-197)	Men (n = 73-75)	Women (n = 391-399)	Men (n = 151-153)	Women (n = 32-33)	Men (n = 59-60)
Age in years, mean ± SD	46.9 ± 9.9	48.2 ± 10.6	47.5 ± 11.3	46.2 ± 11.9	49.4 ± 10.0	49.4 ± 10.6	42.0 ± 9.0	45.9 ± 10.7
Weight in kg, mean ± SD	64.5 ± 8.2	78.9 ± 10.6	63.8 ± 7.9	77.6 ± 8.3	65.0 ± 9.2	78.4 ± 9.4	61.8 ± 7.3	78.0 ± 10.0
Height in cm, mean ± SD	168.1 ± 6.2	180.9 ± 6.4	169.0 ± 5.6	181.7 ± 6.0	167.5 ± 6.4	179.9 ± 6.8	168.6 ± 5.2	182.0 ± 7.0
Body mass index, mean ± SD	22.8 ± 2.6	24.1 ± 3.1	22.4 ± 2.5	23.5 ± 2.7	23.2 ± 3.0	24.2 ± 2.5	21.7 ± 2.4	23.5 ± 2.7
Gainful employment, %	95	94	93	96	98	99	100	95
Educated at university level, %	78	74	82	80	71	66	73	75
An income above 25.000 SEK** a month, %	60	73	58	72	36	69	61	80
Participant and both parents born in Sweden, %	79	86	82	84	80	89	69	87
Having a driver's licence, %	94	96	92	91	90	95	91	97
Usually access to a car, %	74	82	58	52	74	86	76	80
Leaving home 7-9 a.m. to cycle to work, %	72	67	84	85	68	61	81	82
Number of bicycle-commuting trips per year***, mean ± SD	240.7 ± 122.1	280.1 ± 135.7	317.7 ± 136.6	320.8 ± 117.3	265.8 ± 131.4	271.0 ± 141.4	301.4 ± 136.9	349.7 ± 84.1
Overall physical health either good or very good, %	86	86	80	76	82	80	97	93
Overall mental health either good or very good, %	83	86	84	80	80	84	91	88

Values are based on self-reports.
*Both I&S = those who bicycle-commuted in both the inner urban and suburban areas, Only I = those who bicycle-commuted in only the inner urban area and Only S = those who bicycle-commuted in only the suburban area.
**SEK = Swedish crown/krona, year 2005: €1 ≈ 9 SEK; US$1 ≈ 8 SEK.
***The number of bicycle-commuting trips per year is based on 239 women and 218 men in Both I&S, 161 women and 63 men in Only I and 316 women and 129 men in Only S and 18 women and 43 men in the street-recruited participant group. The low response rate is due to missing values in one or more of the 12 month leading to exclusion in the sum score.

ISSN: 1471-2288