Behavioural correlates of active commuting to school in Spanish adolescents: the AFINOS (Physical Activity as a Preventive Measure Against Overweight, Obesity, Infections, Allergies, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Adolescents) study

Objective: To examine the associations between lifestyle factors and active commuting to school in Spanish adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional study. Lifestyle factors (overall/extracurricular physical activity, television viewing, reading as a hobby, sleep duration, breakfast/fruit intake, smoking and alcohol intake) as well as mode and duration of commuting to school were self-reported. Active commuters were defined as those adolescents who walked or cycled to school. Setting: Secondary schools in Madrid, Spain. Subjects: Adolescents (n 2029) aged 13 to 17 years. Results: Similar percentages of adolescent boys (57.6%) and girls (56.1%) were classified as active commuters to school (P = 0.491). The analysis showed that only adequate sleep duration (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.11, 1.66; P =0.003) and breakfast consumption (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.49, 0.87; P = 0.004) were independently associated with active commuting to school. Conclusions: Only those behaviours that occur immediately before commuting to school (sleep and breakfast) are associated with active commuting in Spanish adolescents.