Which Are the Main Parental Barriers to Active Commuting to School in Ecuador?

Abstract

Background Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in most countries of Latin America and physical inactivity is an important risk factor. Daily behaviors such as active commuting to school can provide a significant source of physical activity for children to improve the cardiovascular health. Parental perceptions of the environment such as distance to school or neighborhood safety are important to determine active commuting to school. The aim of this study was two-fold: to determine parental barriers to active commuting to school in Ecuadorian children and adolescents and to examine the association between the parental barriers and mode of commuting to school. Methods Parents of children (n=172, aged 9-12) and parents of adolescents (n=209, aged 13-18) completed a self-reported questionnaire about perceived parental barriers to active commuting to school. Differences of the parental perceived barriers between parents of children and parents of adolescents were analyzed using Chi-square test for every single barrier and Student T-test for independent samples to analyze the number of parental perceived barriers. The association between children's mode of commuting and parental barriers for each group of parents was examined using logistic regression analysis. Results The most common barriers reported by Ecuadorian parents of children were traffic volume (51.7%), traffic speed (50.0%) and crime (50.0%), whereas the most common barriers reported by Ecuadorian parents of adolescents were traffic speed (44.5%), distance to school (44.0%) and crime (44.0%). Parents of children reported absence of adults to walk with as the most important barrier compared to parents of adolescents (36.6% and 21.5% respectively, p=0.001). Parents of children who perceived as barriers distance to school (OR: 11.022; p Conclusions The most frequent perceived barriers for Ecuadorian parents were traffic volume, traffic speed, crime and distance, whereas barriers for parents of children were higher than parents of adolescents. Parents of children were more concern about presence of adults to walk with than parents of adolescents. It is important to improve the parental perceptions of distance and safety in dangerous intersections to promote active commuting to school in Ecuador.