The Impact of Additional Weekdays of Active Commuting to School on Children Achieving a Criterion of 300+ Minutes of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity

Objective: To investigate the value of additional days of active commuting for meeting a criterion of 300+ minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 60+ mins/day x 5) during the school week. Methods: Based on seven-day diaries supported by teachers, binary logistic regression analyses were used to predict achievement of MVPA criteria according to days of active commuting to and from school. MVPA was recorded across five time points: (a) before school, (b) walking/cycling to and from school, (c) during school, (d) in school-based clubs and (e) during leisure time. The study was conducted in Derby, UK, in June 2006. Results: Active commuting was reported by 4218 (78 per cent of 5422) children for an average daily commuting time of 18.4 plus or minus 16.4 minutes. Children who commuted on more days in the week were most likely to achieve the MVPA criterion. Every day of active commuting doubled the chances of meeting the MVPA criterion; in Year 10 girls this effect was stronger (odds ratio 6.45). Conclusion: Results confirm the ubiquity of active commuting among young people. Even one additional day of active commuting helps to meet established criteria. In older girls active commuting is uniquely powerful in contributing to attainment of public health targets of MVPA. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)