Centre for Sports and Exercise Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Feb;42(2):281-7. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181b11bdc.
Cycling to school is positively associated with aerobic fitness in Danish schoolchildren and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a positive association exists between active travel and aerobic fitness in English schoolchildren, where cycling to school is rare.
Participants (n = 6085, 47% girls, aged 10.0-15.9 yr) were recruited as part of the East of England Healthy Hearts study. Mass and stature were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Aerobic fitness was assessed using the 20-m shuttle run test (20-mSRT); mode of travel to school and physical activity (PA) were assessed by a questionnaire. Differences in BMI, PA, and fitness by travel mode were assessed by ANOVA and ANCOVA. Participants were categorized as "fit" or "unfit" on the basis of existing cutoffs related to adult health. Logistic regression was applied to calculate age, BMI, and PA-adjusted odds of being classified as fit according to travel mode.
Walking was the most common travel mode to school (50%), and cycling was least frequent (8%). Walkers and cyclists of both sexes were significantly fitter than passive transport users, even after controlling for PA. Walking and cycling were associated with an increased likelihood of being categorized as fit in boys and girls. After adjustment for PA, this association remained significant only in girls. No association was observed between travel mode and BMI.
These data confirm findings from countries where cycling is very common in showing that cycling to school is positively associated with aerobic fitness. This study adds to the existing literature by showing that walkers and cyclists are more likely to be classified as fit using recognized cut points. Those who walk and cycle to school may, therefore, be at reduced risk for developing chronic diseases in adulthood.
在丹麦的学童和青少年中，骑车上学与有氧健身呈正相关。本研究旨在确定在骑车上学很少见的英国学童中，积极的出行方式与有氧健身之间是否存在正相关。
参与者（n=6085，47%为女性，年龄为 10.0-15.9 岁）是作为英格兰东部健康心脏研究的一部分招募的。测量了体重和身高，并计算了体重指数（BMI）。使用 20 米穿梭跑测试（20-mSRT）评估有氧健身水平；通过问卷评估上学的出行方式和体育活动（PA）。通过 ANOVA 和 ANCOVA 评估不同出行方式的 BMI、PA 和健身水平的差异。根据与成人健康相关的现有标准，将参与者分为“健康”或“不健康”。应用逻辑回归计算根据出行方式，按年龄、BMI 和 PA 调整的健康分类的几率。
步行是最常见的上学出行方式（50%），而骑车是最不常见的方式（8%）。无论性别如何，步行者和骑车者都比被动交通使用者更健康，即使在控制了 PA 之后也是如此。步行和骑车与男孩和女孩被归类为健康的可能性增加有关。在调整了 PA 后，这种关联在女孩中仍然显著。出行方式与 BMI 之间没有关联。
这些数据证实了在自行车非常普遍的国家的研究结果，即骑车上学与有氧健身呈正相关。本研究通过表明步行者和骑车者更有可能使用公认的标准被归类为健康，从而补充了现有文献。因此，那些步行和骑车上学的人可能在成年后患慢性病的风险降低。
