Parent’s sociodemographic factors, physical activity and active commuting are predictors of independent mobility to school

Abstract

Background Independent mobility (IM) provides young people with many opportunities to increase their autonomy and physical activity (PA). This study aimed to analyse whether the parent’s PA, active commuting to work and sociodemographic factors serve as predictors of IM to school in children and adolescents. Methods A total of 684 parents (52.8% mothers) and their offspring (56.4% girls) were included in this study, which was performed in Granada (Spain) and Valparaíso (Chile). The parents self-reported their sociodemographic characteristics, PA and mode of commuting to work. The mode of commuting to and from school and the offspring accompaniment mode were reported. T-test and chi-square test were used to study quantitative and qualitative differences by parental gender, respectively. Binary logistic regression models (odds ratio = OR) and stepwise analysis were performed to study the association between the parents’ sociodemographic variables and IM to school. Results Adolescents showed higher IM to school than children (58.9% vs 40.2%; p < 0.001). No car availability and shorter distance to work were positively associated with higher IM to school in children (OR = 2.22 and 2.29, respectively). Mothers' lower salary/month (OR = 2.75), no car availability (OR = 3.17), and mother passive commuting to work (OR = 2.61) were positively associated with higher IM to school in adolescents. The main predictor of IM to school in children and adolescents was no car availability (OR = 6.53). Conclusion Parental sociodemographic factors, such as salary, distance to work and car availability, were associated more strongly with IM than parental PA and active commuting to work.

The Prevalence of Active Commuting to School and the Factors Influencing Mode Choice: A Study of University Students in a Secondary City of Bangladesh

“…Different levels of physical activity were found in urban and rural adults of various socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States [4], which may be due to favorable infrastructure, accessibility to sports or recreational facilities, or a history of long-term exercise promotion. In addition, parents' physical activity, active commuting to work, and sociodemographic factors served as predictors of individual commuting to school [42]. These are not totally unsupported in the current study, such as patents' educational qualifications, occupations, and the size of their families of socio-demographic factors.…”

“…Existing literature also supports this finding. The university students who lived in lower-SES neighborhoods reported more active commuting to university trips per week than those who lived in higher-SES neighborhoods [45], and the issue is connected to the parents' income level [42].…”

Factors associated with active commuting to school in adolescents Autores/as

“…The lower access and availability of low-income families to motorized vehicles could justify the greater realization of more active journeys by children to school (Silva et al, 2018). In addition, making active trips to school depends in part on the independent mobility of schoolchildren, being higher in those families with lower income and lack of available vehicles to accompany their children to school (Larouche et al, 2020;Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al, 2021).…”

Personal, social, and environmental correlates of physical activity and sport participation in an adolescent Turkish population

“…Previous studies conducted in different countries identified potential factors associated with PAL and physical activity behaviors of adolescents considering individual, interpersonal, and environmental influences [ 10 ]. A recent review has pointed out that several factors including age, gender, parent activity level, physical activity and sport participation in school, peer support, and socioeconomic status could affect the PAL of adolescents [ 11 ].…”

“…A recent review has pointed out that several factors including age, gender, parent activity level, physical activity and sport participation in school, peer support, and socioeconomic status could affect the PAL of adolescents [ 11 ]. Moreover, PAL has been reported to be linked with screen time of adolescents [ 12 ], choice of school transportation [ 10 ], and condition of school environment [ 13 ]. Since regional and cultural differences is an important determinant associated with PAL [ 14 ], identifying the factors related with PAL and physical activity behavior of Turkish adolescents in order to plan and implement national public health policies is warranted.…”