Active commuting to school among Spanish adolescents: social differences & neighbourhood environment 🚶‍♀🚴🏿‍♂


E. Vidal-Tortosa, P. Campos-Garzón, A. Ruiz-Alarcón, J. Molina-García, J. Gilliland, P. Chillón

🎯 Introduction


Rationale

  • Adolescents from low socioeconomic status (SES) & migrant-background families → less physically active (Owen et al. 2022; Ahmed et al. 2021; Lorente et al. 2025; Boraita et al. 2022).

  • Active commuting to school (ACS) (walking/cycling) → cheap, accessible, parent-independent → may reduce gaps

  • In Southern Europe, little evidence on ACS by social group & neighbourhood environment

Research questions

  • RQ1. Do Spanish low-SES and migrant-background adolescents differ in ACS vs peers?

  • RQ2. If so, do neighbourhood environments explain or amplify these differences?

⚙️ Data & Methods


Design, sample & source

Variables

  • Outcomes: usual mode (active vs passive); weekly active trips

  • Predictors: sociodemographics (SES, migration background, age, gender); environmental factors (distance to school, residential density, land-use mix, pedestrian infrastructure, perceived environment)

Analysis

  • Multilevel regression (students nested in schools)

    • Base → sociodemographics
    • Full → + environmental

📈 Results – Descriptives


ACS higher among low-SES and migrant-background adolescents

📈 Results – Descriptives


Low-SES and migrant-background adolescents live closer to school

Truncated at 30 km.

📈 Results – Multilevel regression


Social ACS differences to school ➡️🏫 mostly explained by distance

OR = Odds Ratio (odds of using active vs passive mode). ➡ OR < 1 = ↓ less likely | OR > 1 = ↑ more likely.
IRR = Incidence Rate Ratio (number of weekly active trips). ➡ IRR < 1 = ↓ trips | IRR > 1 = ↑ more trips.
Models adjusted for age & gender.

📈 Results – Multilevel regression


Stronger social ACS differences from school ⬅️🏫, also mostly explained by distance

➡ OR < 1 = ↓ less likely | OR > 1 = ↑ more likely.
➡ IRR < 1 = ↓ trips | IRR > 1 = ↑ more trips.
Models adjusted for age & gender.

🧠 Discussion & Conclusions


Key findings

  • RQ1. Do Spanish low-SES and migrant-background adolescents differ in ACS vs peers? → Yes. They engage more in ACS, especially from school.

  • RQ2. Do neighbourhood environments explain or amplify these differences? → Explain. Once adjusted for environment, SES and migration differences disappear.

    The disparities appear to be less about who adolescents are and more about where they live — with distance to school playing the biggest role

Limitations

  • Cross-sectional; modest sample; route/school-site environment not measured

Implications

  • Protective mechanism: ACS in Spain helps reduce social gaps in PA — but only where schools are close enough to walk.

  • Policy priority: School siting and neighbourhood planning are crucial to sustain equity in PA.

📚 References


Ahmed, Shahnawaz, Riaz Uddin, Jenny Ziviani, and Asaduzzaman Khan. 2021. “Global Prevalence of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep of Immigrant Children: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 8 (6): 1364–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00898-1.
Boraita, Raúl Jiménez, Daniel Arriscado Alsina, Josep María Dalmau Torres, and Esther Gargallo Ibort. 2022. “Factores Asociados a Los Desplazamientos Activos Al Centro Escolar En Adolescentes Factors Associated with Active Commuting to School in Adolescents” 17 (52).
Chillón, Palma, Patricia Gálvez-Fernández, Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado, Manuel Herrador-Colmenero, Yaira Barranco-Ruiz, Emilio Villa-González, María Jesús Aranda-Balboa, et al. 2021. “A School-Based Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Cycling to School in Adolescents: The Paco Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (4): 2066. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042066.
Lorente, José Ramón Solano, Mario Diaz Cutillas, Sara Luna Rivas, Francisco José Rivera De Los Santos, Aníbal Nieto Diaz, and Olga Monteagudo Piqueras. 2025. “Factors Associated with Physical Activity Engagement Among Adolescents in a Southeastern Region of Spain.” Preventive Medicine Reports 53 (May): 103063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103063.
Owen, Katherine B., Tracy Nau, Lindsey J. Reece, William Bellew, Catriona Rose, Adrian Bauman, Nicole K. Halim, and Ben J. Smith. 2022. “Fair Play? Participation Equity in Organised Sport and Physical Activity Among Children and Adolescents in High Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 19 (1): 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01263-7.