Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Social and Health Care Research Center, Santa Teresa Jornet, s/n, 16071 Cuenca, Spain.
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, School of Education, Ronda de Calatrava, 3, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
J Sch Health. 2018 Nov;88(11):839-846. doi: 10.1111/josh.12690.
Walking and bicycling (active commuting) to school may be a useful strategy to increase the daily amount of physical activity, and, potentially, improve children's health. However, it is unclear whether active commuting to school (ACS) has the potential to improve physical health and cognitive performance in children. Our aim was to examine the relationship between ACS with adiposity indicators, physical fitness, and cognitive performance in 4- to 7-year-old children.
We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1159 children from the provinces of Cuenca and Ciudad Real, Spain. ACS was self-reported by parents. Adiposity (body mass index, waist circumference, body fat mass, and triceps skinfold thickness) and physical fitness (cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness) were measured by standard procedures. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Battery of General and Differential Aptitudes. Data analysis included analysis of covariance.
We found no differences in adiposity, physical fitness, and cognitive performance between active commuters and nonactive commuters.
Walking to school had no positive impact on adiposity, physical fitness, and cognition in 4- to 7-year-old children. Future studies should examine the intensity and duration of walking to school needed to provide benefits in health and cognitive performance.
步行和骑自行车（主动通勤）上学可能是增加日常身体活动量的有效策略，并可能改善儿童的健康。然而，主动通勤上学（ACS）是否有可能改善儿童的身体健康和认知表现还不清楚。我们的目的是研究 ACS 与肥胖指标、身体素质和 4 至 7 岁儿童的认知表现之间的关系。
我们进行了一项横断面研究，共有来自西班牙昆卡和雷亚尔城两省的 1159 名儿童参与。家长通过自我报告来报告 ACS。通过标准程序测量肥胖程度（体重指数、腰围、体脂肪量和肱三头肌皮褶厚度）和身体素质（心肺和肌肉健康）。使用一般和差异能力测验评估认知表现。数据分析包括协方差分析。
我们没有发现主动通勤者和非主动通勤者在肥胖程度、身体素质和认知表现方面存在差异。
对于 4 至 7 岁的儿童，步行上学对肥胖程度、身体素质和认知没有积极影响。未来的研究应该研究步行上学的强度和持续时间，以提供在健康和认知表现方面的益处。
