Active travel to school and cardiovascular fitness in Danish children and adolescents.
Involverte ansatteCooper AR, Wedderkopp N, Wang N,
Andersen LB, Froberg K, Page AS.
Submitted Nov 2005.
BeskrivelseActive travel to school provides an opportunity for daily physical activity. Previous studies have shown that walking and cycling to school are associated with higher physical activity levels. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the way that children and adolescents travel to school is associated with level of cardiovascular fitness.
Participants were recruited as part of the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS). Nine hundred and nineteen participants, (529 children: age 9.7±0.4yr and 390 adolescents: age 15.5±0.4yr) completed a maximal cycle ergometer test to assess cardio-respiratory fitness (Wmax•kg-1).
Mode of travel to school was investigated by questionnaire. Physical activity was measured in 590 participants using an accelerometer. Regression analyses with robust standard errors and adjustment for confounders (gender, age, body composition (sum of four skinfolds), pubertal status and physical activity) and the cluster sampling procedure were used to compare fitness levels for different travel modes. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to assess the odds for belonging to quartiles of fitness level.
Results: Children and adolescents who cycled to school were significantly fitter than those who walked or travelled by motorised transport, and were more than five times as likely (OR 5.5 (95% CI 3.1 to 9.8)) to be in the top quartile of fitness scores.
Conclusion: Cycling to school may contribute to a fitter and more physically active profile in children, supporting active transport initiatives for children’s health.