AUTHOR=Költő András , Gavin Aoife , Kelly Colette , Nic Gabhainn Saoirse 

TITLE=Transport to School and Mental Well-Being of Schoolchildren in Ireland

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 66 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.583613

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2021.583613

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objectives: Active transport is documented to have various health benefits for adolescents, but it is not fully understood how it impacts different aspects of mental well-being. We explored whether modes of transport (cycling, walking, public transport or private vehicle) between home and school are associated with mental well-being in children aged 10–17 years, participating in the Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Methods: Scores on the WHO-5 Well-being Index, Mental Health Inventory five-item version, self-reported life satisfaction, happiness with self, body satisfaction, excellent self-rated health, and multiple health complaints of 9,077 schoolchildren (mean age: 13.99±1.91 years, percentage girls: 52.2%) were compared across modes of transport, unadjusted and adjusted for gender, age, family affluence and area of residence. Results: Those who reported using public transport (25.3%) reported poorer mental well-being than those who cycled (3.3%), walked (25.0%), or commuted by private vehicle (46.4%) to and from school. The effects were significant, but effect sizes varied, and sociodemographic variables, particularly age, accounted for most of the differences in mental well-being outcomes, since both mental well-being outcomes and patterns of mode of transport were significantly associated with age. The only exception was excellent health, where children who cycled outperformed the other three groups, even when controlling for sociodemographic variables. Conclusions: Cycling has the potential to contribute to self-reported good health in children. Implementing cycle-friendly infrastructure, cycling training, and promoting family cycling could increase the number of children who benefit from using bicycles on the way to and from schools. However, such initiatives need to consider social and environmental determinants and inequalities which influence adolescents’ and their parents’ decisions on modes of transport between home and school.