Abstract
Active commuting to school has health implications for young people. Previous research has shown the need to consistently define the concept of “active commuter”, given that assessment as well as comparison between studies may be hindered by current discrepancies in frequency criteria. Using a sample of 158 Spanish students (12th–13th grade, 60.8% girls), the current study aimed to compare several cut-off criteria to rigorously identify the frequency of weekly active trips to school in order to categorize adolescents as active or passive commuters, and to analyze whether the threshold living distance to school is associated with the different trip cut-off criteria. Percentages of active commuters ranged from 75% to 88.6%, varying significantly depending on the cut-off criteria (5–10 active trips/week) used. The results also support the need to be stricter in the selection of a cut-off criterion when the distance to the school becomes shorter. Our findings highlight the importance of following a standard criterion to classify individuals as active or passive commuters, considering the characteristics of the context in which each study is conducted.
Highlights
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor of mortality worldwide [1]
The literature has shown some inconsistencies in the categorization of active and passive commuters
No significant differences were found between the percentages of active commuters from the ≥nine and ten active trip cut-off criteria either
Summary
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor of mortality worldwide [1]. The benefits of physical activity (PA) in adolescents are significant and widely accepted [2,3]. Promoting PA in adolescents seems of paramount importance, to enhance current health benefits, and to transfer them into adulthood [6,7]. Active commuting can be a promising strategy to promote PA among adolescents [8], providing an alternative to more traditional PA domains such as sport and exercise [9]. A large body of research has indicated that active commuting plays an important role in increasing the overall PA level in children and youth [10]. Promoting PA through walking and cycling is a priority of the World Health
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