This study by Landsberg et al. was conducted to determine the association between active commuting to school (walking or cycling) and parameters of adiposity. Of the 626 adolescents examined, 62.6% were active commuters and 37.4% were inactive commuters. Results of this study indicated that after controlling for potential confounders, active commuting per se showed no effect either on fat mass or on body mass index. However, a significant association between distance to school and fat mass was found, suggesting that actively commuting adolescents’ fat mass decreased with increasing distance between home and school. This data argues in favour of initiatives promoting active commuting to school in order to establish physical activity early in life.
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