Obesity in young people is a serious problem in the society. Low physical activity levels and a high sedentary time unhealthy lifestyles among children and adolescents. To find opportunities where young people might adquire active behaviour is necessary. The mode of commuting to school is a behavior performed daily by young people at least twice during the way to and from school. This behavior can be performed using active modes, which means walking or cycling mainly, which has several health implications among youth. Young people who walk or cycle to school have higher physical activity levels, better cardiorespiratory fitness and there is evidence about a better academic performance compared to those who use motorized or passive modes of commuting. In the other hand, it is necessary to emphasize the socio-environmental effect of using modes of commuting that no produce pollution and that allow to interact with their peers.
The current project pretends to study more deeply the knowledge of active commuting to school and plans three aims: a) to analyze the patterns of the mode of commuting to school in Spanish youth the last two decades, b) to design and study the validity, reliability and feasibility of two questionnaires about mode of commuting to school and correlated variables and of two technological tools mobile-based targeted in parents and youth to promote active commuting, and lastly, c) to study the feasibility at school-setting of the assessment protocol to evaluate mode of commuting to school in order to be retorted in future research and to implement and assess the effect of school-based interventions to promote walking and cycling to school in the cities of Granada, Jaén and Valencia. The results of the current project will allow to: a) to know the mode of commuting to school of 24615 children and 15845 adolescents coming from the Spanish area and to analyze the evolution of this behavior in the last two decades; b) to elaborate valid, reliable and feasible tools to assess the mode of commuting to school and its correlates in order to know which correlates are the most relevant on active commuting to school and consequently, to be able to design effective intervention programs; likewise, to create two technological mobile-based tools to work with parents and youth the promotion of active commuting, and c) to plan a feasible assessment protocol for the mode of commuting at school-settings that may be replicate in future researching and to implement several schoolbased intervention programs at schools to promote walking and cycling to school working with parents and children and to analyze its effects.
The provided results in the current project offer broad and entire view of the behaviour of active commuting to school that did not exist in the scientific literature. These results oriente researchers and policy makers about future studies and intervention intiatives respectively, that may be succesull on promotion active commuting to school behaviours and may be a public health strategy for benefing a society with higher health levels and, in general, higher quality of life.
The project was performed in 2016-2021. Currently, it is continued the process of analysing results to be disseminated in scientific publications and conferences, as well as in mass media.
This project study was funded in the period 2016-2021 in the Plan Nacional I+D+i 2016, by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (REF: DEP2016-75598-R).
Award -2º Accésit- estrategia NAOS 2020 to the promotion of physical activity in the school setting to the applied research work: “PACO: Pedalea y Anda al Colegio/ PACO: Pedal and Cycle to School”.
