Effectiveness of an active commuting school-based intervention at 6-month follow-up

Abstract

Background: Active commuting to school may provide a significant source of physical activity in youth. Previous school-based intervention studies have shown a positive effect on increasing the frequency of active commuting to school in the short-term. However, how the observed effects are after the intervention remains to be investigated. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of a school-based intervention on active commuting to school at 6-month follow-up. Methods: A total of 494 children ages 8-11 years from 5 primary schools were invited to the study. The schools were non-randomly allocated into control or experimental group. The experimental group received a 6-month programme focused on increasing active commuting to school, while the control group received no intervention. Frequency and mode of commuting to school were measured using a questionnaire at pre-intervention, post-intervention and 6-month follow-up. Children with valid data on commuting to school and provided data for sex, age and distance from home were included in this study (n = 206). Results: There was a significant difference in the change of number of walk and bike travels per week between groups at 6-month follow-up (Control-Group = -0.4 ± 0.3; Experimental-Group = 0.6 ± 0.2; p = 0.019). Regarding the frequency of mode of commuting, only a change in walking to school was significantly different between the groups at 6-month follow-up (Difference Follow-up - Post-intervention) (Control-Group = -0.6 ± 0.3; Experimental-Group = 0.7 ± 0.2; p = 0.004). Conclusions: A 6-month school-based intervention focused on increasing active commuting to school could be effective strategy for increasing the frequency of active commuting to school even beyond the period of intervention.