Perception of the Environment for Active Transportation in High School Students in Chile

Abstract

The problem of physical inactivity is responsible for more than five million deaths per year. In view of this problem,
active transportation (walking or cycling) is considered as an accessible, economical and sustainable method to increase daily physical activity in schoolchildren. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate the association between the perception of the characteristics of the environment and the type of transportation to and from school among Chilean adolescents. Through a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional approach, and by means of a non-random and convenience sample, 753 high school students from public and private schools in the Maule region participated in the study. A battery of questionnaires with instruments validated in this population was applied, considering sociodemographic information, perception of the environment and active transportation and physical activity. The results indicate that the most relevant environmental characteristics for active transportation are distance, density, local facilities, general infrastructure, maintenance, safety, bicycle and pedestrian network and connectivity. It is concluded that men have a higher perception of favorable characteristics for active transportation, coinciding with scientific studies. Finally, the predictive power of the models was higher for the home-to-school commute.