Higher independent mobility to school among adolescents: A secondary analysis using cross-sectional data between 2010 and 2017 in Spanish youth

The PACO Study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (DEP2016-75598-R, MINECO/FEDER, UE), and Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (FPU17/03934). This study has been partially funded by the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), and by the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR. This study is part of a PhD thesis conducted in the Official Doctoral Program in Biomedicine of the University of Granada, Spain
The team would like to acknowledge the support of the following Spanish research centres and local/regional public institutions in providing data used in this study: Auguria, Agenda 21, University of Cádiz, University of Valencia, Autonomous University of Barcelona, University of Zaragoza, La Biciclante, La Ciclería, City Council of Zaragoza, University Carlos III and University of Granada.
Aim: To describe and to analyse the associations between independent mobility to school (IM) with gender and age in Spanish youth aged 6–18 years old from 2010 to 2017. Moreover, to study the changes in the rates of IM from 2010 to 2017 by gender and age. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from 11 Spanish studies. The study sample comprised 3460 children and 1523 adolescents. Logistic regressions models (IM with gender and age) and multilevel logistic regressions (IM with time period) were used. Results: Boys had higher odds ratio (OR) of IM than girls in children (OR = 1.86; CI: 1.50–2.28, p < 0.01). Adolescents showed higher IM than children: 12–14 years old (OR: 6.30; CI: 1.65–23.97) and 14–16 years old (OR: 7.33; CI: 1.18–45.39) had higher IM than 6–8 years old for boys (all, p < 0.05). Moreover, 12–14 years old (OR: 4.23; CI: 1.01–17.81) had higher IM than 6–8 years old for girls (p < 0.001). IM was not associ- ated with the time period. Conclusion: The IM is higher in boys and in adolescents, highlighting the relevance to promote IM strategies targeting girls and children. In these strategies is essential the support of researchers, public health practitioners and families to achieve positive results.
Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund, Grant/Award Number: DEP2016-75598-R
Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Grant/Award Number: FPU17/03934
Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA