Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 48, Issue 6, June 2009, Pages 519-524
Preventive Medicine

The contribution of active travel to children's physical activity levels: Cross-sectional results from the ALSPAC study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.03.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To assess the association between active travel to school and physical activity (PA) in a large population-based sample of 11-year old children.

Method

Cross-sectional analyses using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (Bristol, UK), collected in 2002–2004. The analyses include all children providing valid data on objectively measured PA (Actigraph accelerometer), and having parent-proxy reported data on travel mode (walk, cycle, public transport, car) and distance to school (N = 4688).

Results

43.5% of children regularly walked or cycled to school (i.e. on every or most days). Compared with car travelers, walking to school was associated with 5.98 (95%CI: 3.82–8.14) more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) on weekdays in those living 0.5–1 miles from school, and with 9.77 (95%CI: 7.47–12.06) more minutes in those living at 1–5 miles. This equates to 24.6 to 40.2% of the average daily minutes of MVPA. Only modest differences were observed in those living < 0.5 mile from school.

Conclusion

Children who regularly walk to school are more active during the week than those travelling by car, especially if the distance is > 0.5 mile. Increasing participation in active travel might be a useful part of an overall strategy to increase population PA.

Introduction

There is growing evidence that lack of physical activity during childhood is predisposing children to the development of obesity and chronic health conditions later in life (Department of Health, 2004; World Health Organization, 2004). In addition, physical activity levels in children are believed to be too low (Andersen et al., 2006; Dollman et al., 2005; Gordon-Larsen et al., 2004; Riddoch et al., 2007). This may be the result of reductions in multiple domains of physical activity, such as physical education, active travel and organized sport (Dollman et al., 2005). To date, research into the promotion of physical activity levels has mostly focused on increasing sports participation, physical activity in general or modifications to physical education classes, most of which have had limited success (van Sluijs et al., 2007). Travel to school has been identified as a possible target for increasing physical activity levels in children (Tudor-Locke et al., 2001). Active travel to school appears to offer an opportunity for many children to engage in physical activity and is recommended as a daily activity for school-aged children (Department of Health, 2004). Population-based data however shows that between 1985/86 and 2006 the percentage of UK primary school children who regularly walk to school has decreased from 67 to 52%, whereas the percentage travelling by car increased from 22 to 41% (Department for Transport, 2002; Department for Transport, 2007). Over the same time, the average distance primary school children travel from home to school has increased from 1.1 to 1.5 miles (Department for Transport, 2002, 2007). Similar trends are evident in the US (McDonald, 2007) and Australia (Salmon et al., 2005; van der Ploeg et al., 2008).

Previous work has shown that active travel is associated with higher overall activity levels, with differences predominantly observed on weekdays and especially in children from the age of 9 years,(Cooper et al., 2005; Cooper et al., 2003; Faulkner et al., 2009; Saksvig et al., 2007; Sirard et al., 2005) an age from which independent mobility tends to increase (O'Brien et al., 2000). However, these studies mostly included small sample sizes, studied non-representative or selective groups, dichotomized groups into active and non-active travelers, and did not consider the potential dose–response relationship with distance travelled. Uncertainty remains as to whether active travel also contributes to higher activity levels outside travel times (Faulkner et al., 2009). We therefore sought to identify whether active travel to school is associated with physical activity in a large population-based sample of 11 to 12-year old British children.

Section snippets

Study population

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a prospective birth cohort study into determinants of childhood health. The study has been described in detail elsewhere (see also: http://www.alspac.bris.ac.uk) (Golding et al., 2001). In brief, 14,541 pregnant women living in one of three Bristol-based health districts in the former County of Avon (UK) with an expected delivery date between April 1991 and December 1992 were enrolled in the study. During pregnancy and throughout

Results

A total of 11,952 children were invited to attend the research 11-year clinic. Of these, 7159 (59.9%) attended, and of those attended 6622 (92.5%) agreed to wear the Actigraph. A total of 4688 children (70.8%) provided valid physical activity data and information on travel mode and distance to school, and these children constitute the analyses sample. Table 1 shows the descriptive characteristics of the participants included in the analyses. The proportion of active travelers decreased from

Discussion

These analyses in a large population-based cohort of 11 to 12-year old British children demonstrate that active transport to school is a major opportunity for promoting physical activity, particularly for those who live between 0.5 and 5 miles from school. Only 43.5% of children reported regularly walking or cycling to school, which is lower than national estimates (Department for Transport, 2007) and indicates a large potential for change. Just over a quarter of children lived less than

Conclusions

In conclusion, this study showed that the prevalence of walking and cycling to school in a British sample is low but that walking to school travel contributes substantially to the physical activity levels of those who live more than 0.5 mile from school. Promoting active travel to school might therefore be a feasible strategy to promote increases in physical activity levels in large populations of children. Further public health strategies should focus on encouraging children who live a

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

We thank the families who took part and the midwives for their help in recruiting them. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children team includes interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists, and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol provide core support for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. This research was funded by a grant from the

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