Background:Research has demonstrated that adolescents who actively commute have higher levels of physical activity (PA), which have declined precipitously over the past 30 years. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of active commuting to school; and to identify barriers associated with active commuting.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1672 students (46.8% boys and 53.2% girls) from 11 to 17 years of age in Caxias do Sul/RS, Brazil. The students were asked to answer questionnaires about active transport, PA, and sedentary behaviors. They also completed a cardiovascular fitness test and body composition measurements. The study used a multivariate Poisson regression analysis.Results:A total of 62.5% of students were observed to actively commute and the prevalence ratio (PR) of not actively commuting was associated with the type of school (Private: 2.41; 1.47, 3.95) and the time spent on commuting (>20 min: 1.93; 1.23, 3.03). The associated barriers to passive commuting were distance (3.02; 1.95, 4.71), crime/ danger (2.65; 1.82, 3.85), and traffic (1.75; 1.19, 2.58).Conclusions:This study showed that environmental variables were strongly associated with active commuting. However, no alterations in body composition or other behavioral variables were observed after adjustment.

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INTRODUÇÃO: Os exercícios aeróbios são os mais investigados e recomendados para a promoção de redução da pressão arterial. Contudo, ainda não está claro a maneira como modalidades acíclicas (voleibol, futebol e outros) podem promover hipotensão pós-exercício (HPE). OBJETIVO: Comparar a resposta pressórica aguda entre partida de futebol e uma sessão de caminhada/corrida. MÉTODOS Oito sujeitos normotensos (59,7±5 anos) e oito hipertensos (57,3±7 anos) tiveram a pressão arterial (PA) monitorada antes das sessões de exercício e durante 30 minutos de um período de recuperação. RESULTADOS: Futebol e caminhada/corrida promoveram diminuição da PA sistólica de -13,8±11 e -6,8±9 mmHg respectivamente entre os indivíduos hipertensos e de -13,3±6 e -5,8±7 mmHg entre os indivíduos normotensos. A PA diastólica foi reduzida em 8,8±5 e -2,8±4,8 mmHg para hipertensos e -6,5±5 e -4,4±2 mmHg para normotensos. Não houve diferenças significativas entre futebol e caminhada/corrida. CONCLUSÃO: O futebol recreativo apresenta a mesma eficácia na promoção de HPE da caminhada/corrida.