Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado

Parental perceptions of barriers to active commuting to school in Spanish children and adolescents.

Background : Understanding parental barriers is crucial to promote active commuting to school since the parental perceptions influence how young people commute. This study examined parental barriers to active commuting to school among Spanish children and adolescents, and their association with their gender and the usual mode of commuting. Parents of children ( n = 628) and parents of adolescents ( n = 151) from Granada (Spain) completed a paper-based questionnaire about perceived parental barriers to active commuting to school and mode of commuting. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Among Spanish parents, the most common barriers reported by parents of children were traffic volume and dangerous intersections, whereas the most frequent barriers reported by parents of adolescents were distance to school and dangerous intersections. Compared to parents of children, a greater proportion of parents of adolescents reported distance to school and crime and smaller proportion reported traffic volume as barriers to active commuting to school. Among parents of children, crime was a more commonly reported as a barrier by parents of girls. Although some barriers reported by parents of passive commuters were similar for children and adolescents (such as distance to school and absence of a policeman at crosswalks), other barriers were specific to parents of children. The main parental barriers to active commuting in children were traffic volume and dangerous intersections whereas for adolescents were distance and dangerous intersections. Among Spanish parents, parental barriers to active commuting are influenced by childrens age, gender and mode of commuting to school.

Active commuting to school was inversely associated with academic achievement in primary but not secondary school students

Physical activity has numerous benefits for children when it comes to academic achievements. This study determined whether active commuting – walking or cycling – to school, as a way of increasing total physical activity levels, was associated with academic achievements in students aged seven to 18 years.

Parents’ and adolescents’ perception of traffic- and crime-related safety as correlates of independent mobility among Belgian adolescents

The independent mobility (IM), defined as the freedom of young people to travel without adult supervision, has been related to the physical activity time, the acquisition of personal autonomy, to less intense fear of crime, and to a stronger feeling of being part of their community and other health and social benefits. The aims of this study were to compare parents’ and adolescents’ traffic- and crime-related safety perceptions of their neighborhood and to analyze the associations of these perceptions with adolescents’ IM. A total of 291 adolescents and their parents completed the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) questionnaire. Multilevel (two-level models: individual level—neighborhood level) regression analyses were conducted to examine whether the environmental perceptions differed between parents and adolescents and the association between the parental and adolescents’ perception to the IM and the active independent mobility (AIM). Parents reported a more negative perception of traffic (except for amount and speed) and crime-related safety. Adolescents’ environmental perceptions were not associated with their IM but parental perceptions of traffic- and crime-related safety were associated with IM and with active IM, although not all associations were in the expected direction. Future urban policy efforts should address environments where parents perceive sufficient levels of safety to increase the levels of IM in adolescents.

Association Between Active Commuting To School And Sleep Duration In Ecuadorian Youth: 3160 Board #65 June 2 3

PURPOSE: Active commuting has been associated to longer sleep duration in adolescents, however, the literature is still limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between the mode of commuting to and from school and sleep duration in Ecuadorian youth.METHODS: A total of