Researchers from the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital are launching an online survey that will be used to study cycling health and injuries. The study, one of only a few to focus on cycling injuries specifically, is now accepting participants from across the nation.

The Cyclist Health and Injury Survey, led by principal investigator Mark Greve, MD, will look at several areas, such as:

• General demographics of cyclists, including experience on a bike, how often they ride and for what purpose (i.e., utilitarian, leisure, or sport).
• General health of cyclists and how this is affected by their cycling.
• The types of injuries sustained while cycling, contributing factors and outcomes.

The results of the online confidential survey will be used to provide feedback to the cycling industry, including the International Olympic Committee, USA Cycling Organization and American Association of Cycling Team Doctors as well as urban planners, cycling engineers and manufacturers.

“Meaningful data on cycling injuries essentially does not exist,” explained Greve. “The largest data sets from groups like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lump cycling and pedestrian injuries together. This is an incredible disservice to cyclists since these activities result in very different kinds of injuries.”

In addition, Greve noted that while there are reams of data on children and helmets, and great information demonstrating the risk of intoxication and bicycle riding, little exists on those who ride their bikes for fitness, fun, competition, commuting or even as messengers. “We hope our study is the first of many that will help improve and promote cycling for health and transportation,” he said.

Those interested in participating in this one-time anonymous survey are encouraged to visit http://cyclingstudy.lifespan.org. The survey takes five to ten minutes to complete. An injury is not a requirement for participants to complete the survey.

The study has been approved by Rhode Island Hospital and its Institutional Review Board. Using the online survey instrument DataStat, the study is approved by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and is completely confidential.

Greve is an attending physician and researcher in the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital and clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is a member of the American Association of Cycling Team Doctors and a team physician for Team Type 1, a professional bicycle road racing team. His research interests include sports injury prevention. Along with Greve, other researchers involved with the study include Michael Mello, MD, director of the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital and co-director of the Community Health Clerkship at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Dawn Richardson, MD, and Janette Baird, PhD, assistant professor at Brown University.