Active Commuting to School as a Source of Health Promotion Among Urban Day Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria: Barriers and facilitators

Abstract

This study examined active commuting among secondary school students and the factors that constitute barriers or facilitators. It also assessed whether links exist with sociodemographic characteristics. A selfdesigned questionnaire was used in this cross-sectional survey to obtain data on the commuting patterns, attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics of 926 students in Ibadan, Nigeria. Although 52.7% of the students lived within 1 to 3 km of their school, only 19.8% (183) were active commuters. More than 69% of the students preferred to remain passive commuters at the expense of good health. Proximity to school was the most reported (94.5%) facilitator of active commuting and parental restraint against walking to school was reported by 60.8% of the passive commuters. Commuting habits were significantly (p<0.05) associated with sociodemographic characteristics. The students were predominantly passive commuters and their commuting pattern was linked to sociodemographic characteristics while barriers and facilitators of active commuting included family, societal, environmental and school factors. KEYWORDS : adolescents health, attitudes, physical activity, sociodemographic characteristics, transport to school