The Effect of a School-Based Intervention on Children’s Cycling Knowledge, Mode of Commuting and Perceived Barriers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
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Aranda Balboa, María Jesús; Huertas Delgado, Francisco Javier; Gálvez Fernández, Patricia; Saucedo Araújo, Romina Gisele; Molina Soberanes, Daniel; Campos Garzón, Pablo; Herrador Colmenero, Manuel; Chillón Garzón, PalmaEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Active commuting Cycling Perceptions Adolescents School
Date
2022-08-05Referencia bibliográfica
Aranda-Balboa, M.J... [et al.]. The Effect of a School-Based Intervention on Children’s Cycling Knowledge, Mode of Commuting and Perceived Barriers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 9626. [https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159626]
Sponsorship
Spanish Government; European Commission DEP2016-75598-R; University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES); Junta de Andalucia; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), "R&D research staff contract, within the framework of the Spanish National Youth Guarantee" - Junta de Andalucia; European Social Fund (ESF); Spanish Government FPU18/04251 FPU17/03934Abstract
The low rates of active commuting to/from school in Spain, especially by bike, and the
wide range of cycling interventions in the literature show that this is a necessary research subject. The
aims of this study were: (1) to assess the feasibility of a school-based cycling intervention program
for adolescents, (2) to analyse the effectiveness of a school-based cycling intervention program on the
rates of cycling and other forms of active commuting to/from school (ACS), and perceived barriers to
active commuting in adolescents. A total of 122 adolescents from Granada, Jaén and Valencia (Spain)
participated in the study. The cycling intervention group participated in a school-based intervention
program to promote cycling to school during Physical Education (PE) sessions in order to analyse the
changes in the dependent variables at baseline and follow up of the intervention. Wilcoxon, Signs
and McNemar tests were undertaken. The association of the intervention program with commuting
behaviour, and perceived barriers to commuting, were analysed by binary logistic regression. There
were improvements in knowledge at follow-up and the cycling skill scores were medium-low. The
rates of cycling to school and active commuting to/from school did not change, and only the “built
environment (walk)” barrier increased in the cycling group at follow-up. School-based interventions
may be feasibly effective tools to increase ACS behaviour, but it is necessary to implement a longer
period and continue testing further school-based cycling interventions.