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Palma-Leal X, Camiletti-Moirón D, Izquierdo-Gómez R, Rodríguez-Rodríguez F, Chillón P. Environmental vs psychosocial barriers to active commuting to university: which matters more? Public Health 2023; 222:85-91. [PMID: 37531714 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were (1) to examine the differences in the mode of commuting and barriers to active commuting to university between the sexes (men and women) and in different countries (Chile and Spain); and (2) to analyse the association between the mode of commuting and the perceived barriers for male and female university students in Chile and Spain. STUDY DESIGN This cross-sectional study took place between April 2017 and May 2018 in Chile and Spain. METHODS The study population included 2269 university students (53.0% women). The mode of commuting and barriers to active commuting to university were assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations. RESULTS In both sexes, public and private transport were the main modes of commuting used in Chile and Spain, respectively, followed by active commuting in all participants, except for female students in Spain. Women perceived more environmental and psychosocial barriers compared to men (Chile: P < 0.001; Spain: P = 0.006). Perceived environmental barriers showed higher significant differences between students in Chile and Spain (P < 0.05). Private commuters reported a larger proportion of psychosocial barriers compared to active commuters (Chile: men P = 0.001, women P < 0.001; Spain: men P < 0.001, women P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS The study findings suggest that the mode of commuting and the barriers to active commuting to university may be influenced by sex and country.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Palma-Leal
- Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; IRyS Group, School of Physical Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Chile
| | - D Camiletti-Moirón
- GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz, Avenida República Saharaui s/n, 11519, Puerto Real, Spain; Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.
| | - R Izquierdo-Gómez
- GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz, Avenida República Saharaui s/n, 11519, Puerto Real, Spain; Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - F Rodríguez-Rodríguez
- IRyS Group, School of Physical Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Chile
| | - P Chillón
- Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Semir-González C, Ferrer-Urbina R, Suazo-Navarro C, Flores-Denegri C, Bolados D, Rosales J, Sepúlveda-Páez G. Development of a Scale to Measure Healthy Behaviors in Spanish-Speaking University Students. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2627. [PMID: 36767993 PMCID: PMC9915417 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a public health problem that affect the quality of life and well-being of people, especially the youth, who have been identified as a high-risk population. Physical inactivity is a key risk factor for NCDs, and an unhealthy diet is a significant driver of NCDs. On the other hand, physical exercise and healthy habits are effective methods of prevention. Although there are scales that measure different behaviors related to NCDs, most of them have been developed in another language (e.g., English) or only focus on one aspect of NCDs. The present study aimed to develop a scale to assess healthy behaviors (i.e., healthy eating and physical exercise) in Spanish-speaking university students, using an instrumental design, with a sample of 369 Chilean university students between 18 and 25 years of age. The results presented show evidence of validity through an exploratory structural equation model (ESEM), reliability estimation through McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha, evidence of invariance by sex, and evidence of validity in relation to other variables with an SEM model. It is concluded that the Healthy Behavior Scale, consisting of nine items to measure healthy eating and physical exercise, is a brief instrument with evidence of reliability and validity (CFI = 0.998; TLI = 0.995; and RMSEA = 0.063) for application in a Spanish-speaking university population, offering potential applications in research instruments, screening studies, and the development of new studies for other contexts.
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Castillo-Paredes A, Iglésias B, Farías-Valenzuela C, Kovalskys I, Gómez G, Rigotti A, Cortés LY, García MCY, Pareja RG, Herrera-Cuenca M, Fisberg M, Drenowatz C, Ferrero-Hernández P, Ferrari G. Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Active Transportation in Adults from Eight Latin American Countries. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12811. [PMID: 36232117 PMCID: PMC9566435 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Neighborhood built environment is associated with domain-specific physical activity. However, few studies with representative samples have examined the association between perceived neighborhood safety indicators and domain-specific active transportation in Latin America. This study aimed to examine the associations of perceived neighborhood safety with domain-specific active transportation in adults from eight Latin American countries. Data were obtained from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (n = 8547, aged 18-65). Active transportation (walking and cycling) was assessed using the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Specifically, traffic density and speed as well as street lightening, visibility of residents regarding pedestrians and bicyclists, traffic lights and crosswalks, safety of public spaces during the day and at night, crime rate during the day and at night were used to evaluate perceived neighborhood safety. Slow traffic speeds, unsafe public spaces during the day, and crime during the day were associated with ≥10 min/week vs. <10 min/week of walking. Furthermore, drivers exceeding the speed limit and crime rate during the day were associated with reporting ≥10 min/week vs. <10 min/week of cycling. These results indicate a stronger association of the perceived neighborhood safety with walking compared to cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Castillo-Paredes
- Grupo AFySE, Investigación en Actividad Física y Salud Escolar, Escuela de Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 8370040, Chile
| | - Beatriz Iglésias
- Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Claudio Farías-Valenzuela
- Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports and Health School, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170022, Chile
| | - Irina Kovalskys
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires C1107, Argentina
| | - Georgina Gómez
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Attilio Rigotti
- Department of Nutrition, Diabetes and Metabolism, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago 8330024, Chile
| | - Lilia Yadira Cortés
- Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
| | | | | | - Marianella Herrera-Cuenca
- Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo, Universidad Central de Venezuela (CENDES-UCV)/Fundación Bengoa, Caracas 1053, Venezuela
| | - Mauro Fisberg
- Centro de Excelencia em Nutrição e Dificuldades Alimentaes (CENDA), Instituto Pensi, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setubal, Hospital Infantil Sabará, São Paulo 01228-200, Brazil
- Departamento de Pediatria, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-061, Brazil
| | - Clemens Drenowatz
- Division of Sport, Physical Activity and Health, University of Education Upper Austria, 4020 Linz, Austria
| | | | - Gerson Ferrari
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia, Santiago 7500912, Chile
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Palma-Leal X, Rodríguez-Rodríguez F, Campos-Garzón P, Castillo-Paredes A, Chillón P. New Self-Report Measures of Commuting Behaviors to University and Their Association with Sociodemographic Characteristics. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182312557. [PMID: 34886286 PMCID: PMC8657066 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Active commuting provides an opportunity for increased physical activity levels by a simple, inexpensive, and easy way to be incorporated in daily routines and could be considered a steppingstone for achieving a sustainable society since it provides physical, psychological, environmental, and economic benefits. Objective: (a) to describe the commuting patterns to and from university in students regarding gender, (b) to provide new self-report variables to measure the active commuting behavior, and (c) to examine the sociodemographic characteristics associated with commuting behaviors. Material and Methods: A total of 1257 university students (52.4% females) participated (22.4 ± 5.6 years old) from three Chilean universities located in different cities. Results: 56.1% of women and 42.0% men use public bus to and from university. The commuting energy expenditure was higher in active commuting followed by public and private modes of commuting (p < 0.001). The most active commuters were those older (men: OR = 3.637; 95% CI = 1.63, 8.10; women: OR = 8.841; 95% CI = 3.94, 13.78), those who lived in university residence (men: OR = 12.432; 95% CI = 4.39, 35.19; women: OR = 3.952; 95% CI = 1.31, 11.85), belonged to low socioeconomic level (men: OR = 3.820; 95% CI = 1.43, 10.18; women: OR = 4.936; 95% CI = 1.63, 14.90), and to public universities (men: OR = 26.757; 95% CI = 10.63, 67.34; women: OR = 8.029; 95% CI = 3.00, 21.48). Conclusion: The sociodemographic characteristics may influence in the mode of commuting to university. New variables of commuting behaviors may be efficient to quantify the physical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena Palma-Leal
- PROFITH Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain; (X.P.-L.); (P.C.-G.)
- IRyS Group, School of Physical Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar 2340000, Chile;
| | - Fernando Rodríguez-Rodríguez
- IRyS Group, School of Physical Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar 2340000, Chile;
| | - Pablo Campos-Garzón
- PROFITH Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain; (X.P.-L.); (P.C.-G.)
| | - Antonio Castillo-Paredes
- Grupo AFySE, Investigación en Actividad Física y Salud Escolar, Escuela de Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 8370035, Chile;
| | - Palma Chillón
- PROFITH Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain; (X.P.-L.); (P.C.-G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-600-706-999
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