The Associations of Active Travel to School With Physical Activity and Screen Time Among Adolescents: Do Individual and Parental Characteristics Matter?

Caihong Huang; Aamir Raoof Memon; Jin Yan; Youliang Lin; Si-Tong Chen

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.719742

The Associations of Active Travel to School With Physical Activity and Screen Time Among Adolescents: Do Individual and Parental Characteristics Matter?

Front Public Health. 2021 Dec 15:9:719742. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.719742. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Caihong Huang¹, Aamir Raoof Memon², Jin Yan³, Youliang Lin⁴, Si-Tong Chen⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Physical Education, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
² Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, Pakistan.
³ Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Education, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Department of Physical Education, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
⁵ Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Little is known about the relationship of active travel to school (ATS) with physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) by individual and parental characteristics among adolescents, especially in China. To address the research gap, this study aimed to explore the difference of sex, age, living environment, parental occupation and education level in the relationship of ATS with PA and ST among students of grades 7-12 (aged 10-18 years) using cross-sectional data. In 13 cities of Hubei province, China, students from 39 public schools were recruited to engage in the survey. In total, 5,898 students (response rate = 89.6%) were invited into this study. Participants were required to report their ATS (including its types), PA and ST as well as sociodemographic information using a validated questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were used to report the information of all variables. Regression models were used to analyse the relationships of ATS and its types with PA and ST. In a total of 4,128 participants (boys: 50.9%; younger adolescents: 61.9%) included in the final analysis, the proportion of those with ATS was 47.3%. Regarding the types of ATS, walking accounted for over 30%, while cycling was 13.2%. Participants with ATS were more likely to have sufficient PA (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.14-1.39), especially among boys, younger adolescents and those with lower parental education level. However, ATS was not associated with ST (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.86-1.01). Participants with cycling had a higher odds ratio of being physically active (OR for cycling = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.27-1.70; OR for walking = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.06-1.32). The association of ATS types with PA and ST differed by gender, age, living environment and parental educational level as well as occupations. ATS may be a useful approach to increase PA among adolescents, but this should be explained by individual and parental characteristics.

Keywords: active travel; age; geographical location; parents; physical activity; school-aged children; screen time; sex.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Exercise
Humans
Male
Parents
Schools
Screen Time*
Transportation