Active commuting to school has health implications among young people. We aimed to (a) examine the patterns of commuting to school in children and adolescents regarding gender and area of residence, (b) study the association between distance from home to school and mode of commuting, and (c) identify the threshold distance below which young people are more likely to walk to school. A total of 6,004 students aged 7 to 18 years from Spain participated in this study. Mode of commuting was self-reported and distance was objectively measured using Google Maps software. Associations were examined using binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves analysis. Around 67% of children and 60% of adolescents commuted to school actively (mainly walking). The threshold distance for walking to school was 875 m, 0.54 miles, in children, and it was higher among urban (1,250 m, 0.78 miles) than in rural participants (675 m, 0.42 miles). The threshold distance for walking to school was 1,350 m, 0.84 miles, in adolescents, and it was lower among urban (1,350 m, 0.84 miles) than in rural participants (1,550 m, 0.96 miles). Future interventions on active commuting to school should consider this threshold distance, and chances of promoting an active commuting to school could have as a goal the increase of this threshold distance.

Considerable public health efforts across the globe have focused on promoting physical activity (PA) and minimizing sedentary behaviour (SB) in youths. However, it is important to have valid, reliable and feasible methods to assess these behaviours in youths. The purpose of this study was to analyse the feasibility and reliability of the Spanish version of the previously validated Youth Activity Profile questionnaire (YAP) in children and adolescents. The YAP-S is a 15-item self-report instrument designed to capture PA and SB in youths. A total of 604 children (5–12 years old) and 346 adolescents (12–17 years old) filled out the questionnaire twice (14 days apart). Feasibility was evaluated through required time and number of misunderstood questions by participants. The test-retest reliability was examined using the weighted kappa coefficient (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficient. The average time to complete the questionnaire was 28.85 ± 14.28 and 12.24 ± 9.84 minutes in children and adolescents, respectively. No misunderstanding of questions was reported. The questionnaire showed an adequate reliability for activity at school, out-of-school and sedentary behaviours (k = 0.61–0.77; ICC = 0.77–0.89) in children and adolescents. The YAP-S might be considered a feasible and reliable questionnaire for assessing PA and SB in Spanish children and adolescents.

The World Health Organization recommends that children should engage in an average of 60 min of moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day and should perform activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least 3 days a week. Public health professionals as well as pediatric researchers have identified schools as a strategic place to promote muscular strength development. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to investigate the efficacy of school‐based exercise interventions for improving muscular fitness (MF) in children. Searches were conducted in three databases. Eligible criteria were randomized and non‐randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of school‐based exercise interventions on MF (i.e. muscular strength, muscular power, and local muscular endurance) in children under 13 years of age. Risk of bias by the National Institutes of Health tool was appraised, and pooled effect sizes (Hedges'g) were calculated using random‐effects inverse‐variance analyses. Seventeen studies enrolling 1653 children (28% girls were analyzed). Exercise interventions, mostly combined interventions targeting selected domains of MF, were associated with significant moderate increases in local muscular endurance (g = 0.65 95% CI, 0.13 to 1.17, p = 0.020; I ² = 85.0%) and muscular strength and muscular power (g = 0.33 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.51, p = 0.001; I ² = 59.3%), with higher effects using interventions with ≥3 sessions per week. Our findings indicate that school‐based exercise that includes strength building exercises may improve MF in children and, consequently, prepare modern day youth for the demands of exercise and sport activities. Highlights: School‐based muscle and bone strengthening exercises performed at least 3 days per week may serve to support the development of muscular fitness in girls and boys Integrative interventions that include a variety of strength and conditioning activities seem to be a promising strategy to promote muscular fitness in school environment Future research should standardize assessment methods for use with children in the school context and should include interventions with girls It is of interest to a growing number of health care providers, fitness professionals and physical education teachers to encourage participation in well‐designed muscle and bone strengthening exercises.

Background: Understanding parental barriers is crucial to promote active commuting to school since the parental perceptions influence how young people commute. This study examined parental barriers to active commuting to school among Spanish children and adolescents, and their association with their gender and the usual mode of commuting. Methods: Parents of children (n = 628) and parents of adolescents (n = 151) from Granada (Spain) completed a paper-based questionnaire about perceived parental barriers to active commuting to school and mode of commuting. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results: Among Spanish parents, the most common barriers reported by parents of children were traffic volume and dangerous intersections, whereas the most frequent barriers reported by parents of adolescents were distance to school and dangerous intersections. Compared to parents of children, a greater proportion of parents of adolescents reported distance to school and crime and smaller proportion reported traffic volume as barriers to active commuting to school. Among parents of children, crime was a more commonly reported as a barrier by parents of girls. Although some barriers reported by parents of passive commuters were similar for children and adolescents (such as distance to school and absence of a policeman at crosswalks), other barriers were specific to parents of children. Conclusions: The main parental barriers to active commuting in children were traffic volume and dangerous intersections whereas for adolescents were distance and dangerous intersections. Among Spanish parents, parental barriers to active commuting are influenced by children’s age, gender and mode of commuting to school.