The Impact of Cycling Specialization on Successful Aging and the Mediating Role of Loneliness

Haibo Tian; Wenting Zhou; Yajun Qiu（CA）; Yi Shang

International Journal of Enviromental Research and Punlic Health

2022  Volume 19  Issue 1

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010019

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/1/19 

Abstract

Recent studies have provided some evidence supporting that cycling specialization (CS) may be positively related to successful aging (SA) among elderly adults. However, there is a gap regarding the examination of the role of loneliness in the relationship between CS and SA. A hypothetical model was proposed to test the relationship between CS, SA, and loneliness. For this purpose, this study randomly conducted a questionnaire survey among 395 cycling participants over the age of 60 in China. The results showed that behavior, cognition, and affect had negative effects on loneliness. Behavior, cognition, and affect were positively associated with SA. Loneliness was negatively related to SA. Furthermore, behavior, cognition, and affect had positive and indirect effects on SA through loneliness. These results offered some new insights for understanding the relationship between CS and SA, especially considering the indirect effect of loneliness. The limitations and implications of the findings were discussed.

Keywords

Cycling specialization; loneliness; successful aging; mediating role; elderly adults