Most studies focussed solely on active  travel  to and /or from school , and showed significant positive associations with physical activity .
The same relationship was detected for active travel to leisure-related places and independent mobility with physical activity .
An inverse relationship between active travel to school and weight status was evident but findings were inconsistent .
Studies on independent mobility suggested that children who have the freedom to play outdoors and travel actively without adult supervision accumulate more physical activity than those who do not .
Further investigation of children 's active travel to leisure-related destinations , measurement of diverse sedentary behaviour beyond simply screen-based activities , and consistent thresholds for objective ly measured sedentary behaviour in children will clarify the inconsistent evidence base on associations of active travel with sedentary behaviour and weight status
UNLABELLED Health benefits from  children 's independent mobility and active travel beyond school travel are largely unexplored .
OBJECTIVES This review synthesized the evidence for associations of independent mobility and active travel to various destinations with physical activity , sedentary behaviour and weight status .
Active transportation to school over 2 years in relation to weight status and physical activity.
OBJECTIVE To prospect ively examine potential benefits of active commuting to school on measures of weight status and physical activity in a sample of youth . RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES A cohort of students from seven elementary schools was measured four times -- in the fall and spring of fourth grade ( N = 1083 ) and fifth grade ( N = 924 ) . Participants were classified as active ( walking , biking , or skateboarding to school almost every day for baseline analyses or at least 2 d/wk for analyses of consistent active commuting ) or non-active commuters to school . Accelerometers were used to measure physical activity . Height , weight , and skinfolds were objective ly assessed . RESULTS Boys who actively commuted to school had lower BMI ( p < 0.01 ) and skinfolds ( p < 0.05 ) than non-active commuters to school in the fourth grade . Active commuting to school over 2 years was not associated with BMI change or overweight status . DISCUSSION Walking and cycling to school may contribute to preventing excessive weight gain , or leaner children may walk or cycle to school
Most studies focussed solely on active  travel  to and /or from school , and showed significant positive associations with physical activity .
The same relationship was detected for active travel to leisure-related places and independent mobility with physical activity .
An inverse relationship between active travel to school and weight status was evident but findings were inconsistent .
Studies on independent mobility suggested that children who have the freedom to play outdoors and travel actively without adult supervision accumulate more physical activity than those who do not .
Further investigation of children 's active travel to leisure-related destinations , measurement of diverse sedentary behaviour beyond simply screen-based activities , and consistent thresholds for objective ly measured sedentary behaviour in children will clarify the inconsistent evidence base on associations of active travel with sedentary behaviour and weight status
UNLABELLED Health benefits from  children 's independent mobility and active travel beyond school travel are largely unexplored .
OBJECTIVES This review synthesized the evidence for associations of independent mobility and active travel to various destinations with physical activity , sedentary behaviour and weight status .