School physical activity policies and active transport to school among pupils in the Czech Republic

Background: Previous studies indicate that the level of physical activity (PA) significantly affects children's health. Active transport to school is PA on a daily basis that may contribute substantially to the overall volume of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Aim of our study was to explore whether schools' health promotion and PA-related policies are associated with active commuting in 15-years-old girls and boys actively commuting to and from school and whether gender differences on active commuting exist. Methods: Students in 9th grades (N = 1522; mean age 15 years; 47.7% boys) from the Czech Republic were enrolled. The active transport of adolescents was self-reported within the Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey in the year 2010. Data about school polices were obtained from the school-level questionnaire which was responded to by school principals. Associations between active transport and school health or PA policies were calculated by logistic regression. Results: We found that adolescents actively commuted more often (OR/95%-CI: 3.43/L87-6.27 [girls]; 2,87/1.46-5.642 [boys]) in schools which promote students' walking and cycling to or from school. Adolescents from schools that are planning an implementation of health promotion reported even higher levels of use of active transport (OR/95%-CI: 5.32/2.38-11.92 [girls]; 4.54/2.01-10.24 [boys]). The association was stronger in boys compared to girls. Conclusion: School policies and programs promoting active transport to and from schools in the Czech Republic contribute to the use of active transport and should be widely implemented. Gender-sensitive approaches should also be taken into account