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The promotion of increased cycling is a political goal in numerous countries due to its environmental and public health benefits. Initiatives to stimulate e-bike use, like subsidies, may be a relevant strategy. However, understanding of the effects of these subsidies remains limited. In the present study our aim was to investigate the short-term effects of subsidising e-bike purchases on mode share distribution, physical activity derived from daily travel, and overall levels of physical activity.

To determine physical function and activity level in children and adolescents with neuromuscular disorders.

is regularly monitored in military personnel, as occupational demands require a certain level of fitness. Distance run (eg, 2 mile) is typically carried out to measure aerobic fitness, but an alternative test could be the 20 meter shuttle run test (20 m SRT). The present study aimed to evaluate validity and reliability of this test in military personnel. An equation for predicting maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was developed on 38 Home Guard soldiers and cross validated in 28 Air Force cadets. Reliability of the 20 m SRT, expressed as mean difference in estimated VO2max-- 95% limits of agreement, was -0.8 +/- 3.1 mL x kg(-1) min(-1). Mean difference +/- limits of agreement between estimated and measured VO2max was -0.4 +/- 6.2 mL.kg(-1)x min-'. The 20 m SRT seems to be a reliable test, although validity is less certain, as relatively high variability was observed between measured and estimated VO2max from the 20 m SRT.

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported a positive association between scoring on healthy Nordic diet scales and the intake of healthy foods and nutrients, and also with higher intake of meat, sweets, cakes, and energy in general. These studies have used the same food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) responses for constructing the diet score as for calculating intakes of foods and nutrients. Thus, it is not clear whether the coexistence of healthy and less healthy dietary aspects among adherers to Nordic diets would occur even though separate methods were applied for exploring these relations.ObjectiveTo assess the association between adherence to the New Nordic Diet (NND), derived from an FFQ, and diet quality, determined from two 24-h dietary recall interviews.DesignIn total, 65 parents of toddlers in Southern Norway answered the NND FFQ and two 24-h dietary recall interviews. NND adherence was determined from the FFQ and categorized into low, medium, and high adherence. The two 24-h recalls provided data for the intake of specific foods and nutrients, selected on the basis of the Norwegian food-based guidelines as an indicator of a healthy diet. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used for assessing differences in food and nutrient intake across NND groups.ResultsHigh NND adherence derived from FFQ was associated with a high intake of fruits (p=0.004) and fiber (p=0.02), and a low intake of meat (p=0.004) and margarines (p=0.05), derived from recalls. A larger proportion of high NND adherers (68%) complied with the national dietary recommendation targeting meat intake compared with low NND adherers (29%) (p=0.04).ConclusionThe present study showed that higher NND adherence measured with FFQ was associated with a higher intake of selected healthy foods and nutrients, measured with recalls. However, a higher intake of meat, sweets, and energy, as earlier reported, was not observed.