Abstract
Our aim was to assess the association between changes in active travel to school and changes in different intensities of physical activity (i.e. moderate - MPA and vigorous - VPA) and time spent sedentary (SED) among adolescents and assess the moderating effect of children’s sex, age and weight status. Data from six cohort studies in the International Children’s Accelerometry Database were used (4108 adolescents aged 10–13y at baseline, with 1.9±0.7y of follow-up). Participants self-reported travel mode to school at baseline and follow-up. Mutually exclusive categories of change were created using passive (e.g. by car) or active (cycling or walking) forms of transport (active/active, passive/active, active/passive, passive/passive). Multilevel linear regression analyses assessed associations with change in accelerometer-assessed time spent MPA, VPA and SED, adjusting for potential confounders. The moderation of sex, age and weight status was tested though the inclusion of interaction terms in the regression models. Relative to those remaining in active travel (active/active), participants classified as passive/active increased VPA (B: 2.23 min/d; 95%CI: 0.97–3.48), while active/passive (MPA: −5.38min/d; −6.77 to −3.98; VPA: −2.92min/d; −4.06 to −1.78) and passive/passive (MPA: −4.53min/d; −5.55 to −3.50; VPA: −2.84min/d; −3.68 to −2.01) decreased MPA and VPA. There were no associations with SED. An interaction was observed, age group moderated the association with change in VPA: among 12–13y-olds a greater increase in VPA was observed for the passive/active group compared to active/active. Promoting active travel to school can be a strategy to attenuate the decline in physical activity through adolescence.
Highlights
High levels of physical activity and low sedentary behavior are protective factors for several negative health outcomes during adoles cence, including cardiovascular risk factors (Júdice et al, 2020; Renninger et al, 2020; Werneck et al, 2020) and mental health-related outcomes (Rodriguez-Ayllon et al, 2019)
Compared with the consistently active group, those taking up passive travel (OR: 0.48; 95%CI: 0.37, 0.61) and participants with consistent passive travel (OR: 0.45; 95%CI: 0.38–0.54) were less likely to achieve recommended levels of physical activity. This large multi-country study shows that compared to consistent active commuters, adolescents taking up passive travel to school and those consistently travelling passively showed greater decrease in MPA, VPA, and MVPA and were less likely to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity
Adolescents taking up active travel to school showed less of a decrease in MPA, VPA and MVPA relative to those with consistent active travel
Summary
High levels of physical activity and low sedentary behavior are protective factors for several negative health outcomes during adoles cence, including cardiovascular risk factors (Júdice et al, 2020; Renninger et al, 2020; Werneck et al, 2020) and mental health-related outcomes (Rodriguez-Ayllon et al, 2019). Physical activity levels decline throughout adoles cence, while sedentary behavior increases (Cooper et al, 2015). Most previous intervention studies to promote physical activity in young people have focused on leisure-time physical activity or in school settings. These interventions have had limited effect on physical activity behaviour and faced implementation challenges (Dobbins et al, 2013; Love et al, 2019). Beyond the potential impact on habitual physical activity levels, active travel to school is aligned to strategies aiming to decrease the use of motorized transport, contributing to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and different health outcomes due to the consequential reductions in air pollution (Bearman and Singleton, 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
