Interaction of sociodemographic factors in the association between psychosocial factors and active commuting to school

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze the interaction of sociodemographic factors in the association between psychosocial factors and active commuting to school. This was a cross-sectional study in 2018 with a sample of 1,984 students. The target sociodemographic factors were sex, age, parents’ schooling, and socioeconomic status. Social support and self-efficacy were measured with questionnaires. Active commuting to school was defined as walking, bicycling, or skateboarding to and from school. Binary logistic regression was used to verify the association between psychosocial factors and active commuting to school. Then, interaction terms with the sociodemographic variables (age, father’s schooling, mother’s schooling, socioeconomic status) were included in the relationship between psychosocial factors and active commuting to school. The sample consisted of 1,984 adolescents (55.9% females). Of these, 748 (37.7% of the sample) reported active commuting to school during a normal week. Analyses of interaction showed that high levels of schooling and high socioeconomic status were negatively associated with active commuting to school. Low socioeconomic status and low schooling were positively associated with such commuting. The peer social support scale showed more significant variables than the other scales. The results indicate that sociodemographic factors (parents’ schooling and socioeconomic status) moderate the association between psychosocial factors and active commuting to school.