Children Who Walk or Cycle to School: Health Benefits

81% of school-going adolescents between 11 and 17 years of age do not meet the minimum weekly physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), a figure that is even higher in girls (85%) compared to boys (78%) (1). These data are truly alarming, since the present and future health of children around the world is at risk. Just look at the results of the Gasol Foundation's PASOS study, which reports that more than a third of Spanish schoolchildren between the ages of 8 and 16 are overweight or obese. Therefore, there is an urgent need to adopt measures that have proven to be effective in increasing physical activity among children and adolescents.

Active commuting – that is, cycling or walking – to school is one of the measures that has proven to be a simple strategy to increase the level of physical activity in children. Thus, according to the report 'Walking to school' presented by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, walking or cycling to school (one kilometer round trip) could account for two thirds of the daily physical activity recommended for these ages. A gesture that implies a better cardiorespiratory capacity with respect to children who use motorized transport, especially in those who travel by bike to/from school, since the evidence is inconsistent with respect to walking (2).

Benefits of active commuting

In addition, boys and girls who travel by bicycle 3 or more days a week have better values in flexibility and speed-agility, in the case of boys, and in lower-body muscular fitness, speed-agility and cardiorespiratory capacity, as well as a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, in the case of girls, compared to children who do not usually travel actively (3). These are the results found in a study led by Colombian and Spanish researchers in which the relationship between cycling to/from school at least 3 days a week and metabolic risk factors – waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid profile and blood glucose – was analyzed, as well as different measures of physical fitness – upper- and lower-body muscular fitness, flexibility and cardiorespiratory capacity – in 2877 children and adolescents between 9 and 18 years of age (3). However, despite the benefits found in those who commute by bike, the researchers found that, surprisingly, only 23% of respondents used it to go to school (3).

Another important aspect to which children's active commuting has been linked is the improvement of mental health. Thus, in a study carried out on 6478 adolescents in school in Shanghai (China), among whom a prevalence of 19% of depressive symptoms was recorded, it was observed that curiously those who habitually moved to and from school did not show any type of depressive symptoms (4). However, this association was observed only among boys, not girls (4).

Despite these results, the percentage of children and adolescents who actively commute to and from school is declining. This is confirmed by an international study in which Dr. Palma Chillón from the University of Granada has participated (5). The study was carried out in 18 schools in different geographical areas of the U. S. in which 1.219 children and adolescents and 1.007 parents participated and which analyzed those factors that can influence children to actively travel to school. The researchers found that the main barriers to children not cycling or walking were found in the parents themselves and their perception of safety and the climate on the journey from home to school, as well as in the refusal of the children themselves to travel actively (5). Similarly, Ramírez-Vélez et al. observed that the most determining factor in promoting active commuting was the educational level of the parents, since a higher educational level of the parents was associated with a greater probability that their children would go to school by bicycle (3).

Conclusions

Walking and biking are healthy ways to get to/from school. In addition to the benefits described, it is a way to protect the environment, since everything that avoids taking the car will help reduce the emission of polluting gases. And in this time of health and economic crisis, it is the most economical way we can find, saving us money on fuel, public transport tickets or car or motorcycle maintenance. For all these reasons, and taking into account that the main thing is safety and that our children are not in any danger, cycling or walking is the best option we can find to have healthy children today and healthy adults tomorrow.

References:

1. Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, Bull FC. Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: a pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1·6 million participants. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2020; 4(1):23-35.
2. Larouche R, Saunders TJ, Faulkner G, Colley R, Tremblay M. Associations between active school transport and physical activity, body composition, and cardiovascular fitness: a systematic review of 68 studies. J Phys Act Health. 2014; 11(1):206-27.
3. Ramírez-Vélez R, García-Hermoso A, Agostinis-Sobrinho C, Mota J, Santos R, Correa-Bautista JE, Amaya-Tambo DC, Villa-González E. Cycling to School and Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents. J Pediatr. 2017; 188:57-63.
4. Gu J, Chen ST. Association between Active Travel to School and Depressive Symptoms among Early Adolescents. Children (Basel). 2020; 7(5):41.
5. Chillón P, Hales D, Vaughn A, Gizlice Z, Ni A, Ward DS. A cross-sectional study of demographic, environmental and parental barriers to active school travel among children in the United States. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2014;11:61.

AUTHOR

Javier S. Morales
Researcher in pediatric oncology and exercise. Co-director of Fissac
www.fissac.com