These findings suggest that AST should be promoted to increase PA levels in children and adolescents and that cycling to/ from school is associated with increased cardiovascular fitness .
BACKGROUND The impact of  active school transport ( AST )  on daily physical activity ( PA ) levels , body composition and cardiovascular fitness remains unclear .
Walking or bicycling to school and weight status among adolescents from Montería, Colombia.
BACKGROUND Active school transport ( AST ) is a recommended strategy to promote physical activity ( PA ) and prevent overweight ( OW ) in school-aged children . In many developing countries , such as Colombia , this association has not been well characterized . OBJECTIVE To determine the association between AST and weight status in a representative sample of adolescents from Montería , Colombia . METHODS Participants were 546 adolescents ( 278 boys ) aged 11 to 18 years old from 14 r and omly selected schools in Montería , Colombia in 2008 . The PA module of the Global School Health Survey ( GSHS-2007 ) was used to determine the prevalence of AST . To identify OW , participants were classified according to CDC 2000 criteria ( BMI ≥ 85th percentile ) . Association between AST and OW was determined by binomial logistic regression . RESULTS Odds ratios adjusted for age , sex , location of school , compliance with PA , and screen time recommendations showed that adolescents who reported AST had a significantly lower likelihood to be OW compared with adolescents who reported nonactive transportation ( OR = 0.5 , 95 % CI 0.3 - 0.8 , P < .05 ) . CONCLUSIONS These results support the importance of AST as a useful PA domain with potential implication s for overweight prevention , in rapidly developing setting s. Further epidemiologic and intervention studies addressing AST are needed in the region
These findings suggest that AST should be promoted to increase PA levels in children and adolescents and that cycling to/ from school is associated with increased cardiovascular fitness .
BACKGROUND The impact of  active school transport ( AST )  on daily physical activity ( PA ) levels , body composition and cardiovascular fitness remains unclear .