Active Commuting and Healthy Behavior among Adolescents in Neighborhoods with Varying Socioeconomic Status: The NESLA Study

Abstract

(1) Background: The World Health Organization recommends active commuting as a source of physical activity. Active commuting is determined by various factors, including the socioeconomic status (SES) of families and neighborhoods, distance to schools, perceived neighborhood safety, lifestyles and availability of walkways and biking paths. This study aimed to assess factors associated with modes of transportation to and from school among adolescents aged 16–19 living in a middle-sized city in Sweden. (2) Method: Three hundred and fourteen students, of whom 55% were females, from schools in the city of Västerås participated in the study. Printed as well as web-based self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. (3) Results: Adolescents living in high SES neighborhoods were 80% more likely to bike or walk to school (OR = 1.80; CI: 1.01, 3.20) than adolescents living in low SES neighborhoods. Furthermore, active commuting was associated with higher consumption of fruits and vegetables (OR = 1.77; CI: 1.05, 2.97) and less consumption of junk foods (OR = 0.43; CI: 0.26, 0.71), as compared to passive commuting. (4) Conclusions: Active commuting is a cost-effective and sustainable source of regular physical activity and should be encouraged at a societal level.

Social Environment Related to Opportunities for Physical Activity within Different types of Built Environments: A Scoping Review

“…In Sweden, shortcomings in structural aspects, quality, and supportive features such as narrow bike paths, inadequate lightning, and concerns about personal safety were found to hinder cycling activity, especially for low-SES citizens [25]. This observation aligns with another Swedish survey study, indicating that active transport to and from school is nearly three times more common among adolescents (16-19 years) living in neighbourhoods with illuminated walking and bike paths than among those without [35]. The same study found that adolescents living in high-SES areas were 80% more likely to bike or walk to school than adolescents living in low-SES areas, and active transportation was 50% less common among adolescents from middle-SES areas than among those in low-SES areas.…”

“…Giles-Corti and Donovan [30] suggest that the quality of the built walking environment may be more important than the SES of the area of residence, as a correlate of walking behaviour. This is supported by ndings concluding that built environmental factors, such as pedestrian bridges over large roads, well-maintain pavements, and illuminated walk-and-bike paths, are encouraging for walking [31,35].…”

“…Furthermore, three studies found that living in high-SES areas is closely related to increased active transportation, higher PA levels, or more steps pr. day [35,44,45]. However, Seguin-Fowler et al [44] found no association between the walk score and PA for those living in low-SES neighbourhoods.…”

“…In summary, a common feature across many studies is that access, length of the bike paths, and quality are associated with physical activity [25,35,46,48]. However, some studies investigating the association between cycle infrastructure, physical activity, and social environment have also found moderators pointing in different directions, leading to no clear conclusions [50,56].…”

Making cities mental health friendly for adolescents and young adults

“…The advantages of healthy urban spaces for adolescents have emerged not only in health sciences research but also in allied fields such as urban design and sociology 27 , 56 , 57 . Urban spaces with opportunities for active commute options to and from school are associated with increased physical activity and environmental supportiveness 58 . Similarly, the presence of community spaces, such as town centres, is associated with improved social connectedness and sense of belonging 59 .…”