Promoting physical activity through active school commuting in preschoolers: insights and implications

The purpose of this research was to analyze the levels of physical activity in preschoolers, focusing on how their mode of transportation to and from school impacted their activity levels.

This study has a cross-sectional design, and it was conducted under the umbrella of the SUNRISE-Andalucía project. Preschool children were studied using accelerometers and GPS devices to measure their daily physical activity. The modes of transportation assessed included walking, multimodal transport (a combination of walking and other forms of transport), and motorized vehicles. Physical activity was broken down into categories: sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. A series of mixed model analyses were used to analyze differences in sedentary time and physical activity levels according to the mode of commuting to/from pre-school.

The study found that preschoolers who walked to and from school exhibited less sedentary behavior and engaged in more light physical activity throughout the day compared to those who used multimodal transport or motorized vehicles. However, no significant differences in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were observed between the different transportation methods.

These findings highlight the importance of encouraging active transportation, such as walking, to promote higher physical activity levels in preschoolers. Enhancing these levels can positively impact their health and overall development, making active transport a valuable component of daily routines.