Social and urban determinants of school commuting in Barcelona and its relationship with air quality around schools
Por:
Puyol-Martín, Y, Oliveras, L, Marí-Dell'Olmo, M, Bartoll, X, Pérez, K, Gómez-Gutiérrez, A, Bereziartua, A, Lertxundi, A, Font-Ribera, L
Publicada:
1 oct 2025
Ahead of Print:
1 may 2025
Resumen:
Introduction: Active commuting to school has been promoted as a measure to reduce both children's sedentarism and air pollution around schools. The aim of this study is to describe school commuting patterns in children aged 2-14 years in Barcelona (Spain), analyse their determinants and assess the relationship with NO2 levels at schools. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2021 Barcelona Health Survey (n = 380 children) and linked home and school addresses to geographical information, including the city's NO2 map. We defined two types of school commuting: (i) active commuting to school (ACS; walking and cycling) and polluting commuting to school (PCS; car and motorcycle). We analysed the association with potential social and urban determinants through prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95 % confidence intervals (CI) using Poisson regression models with robust variance. Results: In Barcelona, 70.4 % of children engaged in ACS, and 12.1 % used PCS. Proximity to school emerged as the most significant determinant of ACS. PCS was strongly associated with both residential neighbourhood socio-economic status and commuting distance. Compared to children living within 750 m of the school, those living between 750 and 1500 m had a PR of 4.41 (95 % CI = 1.62-11.99) of PCS and those living over 1500 m away had a PR of 14.24 (95 % CI = 6.18-32.80). Areas with a higher prevalence of ACS also tended to have higher NO2 levels at schools, showing an imbalance between exposure and contribution to traffic related air pollution across geographical areas. Conclusions: To ensure that all students may engage in ACS, local policies promoting proximity to schools are strongly recommended.
Filiaciones:
Puyol-Martín, Y:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Univ Pompeu Fabra UPF, C Dr Aiguader 80, Barcelona 08003, Spain
Oliveras, L:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Inst Invest Biomed Sant Pau IIB SANT PAU, Sant Quinti 08041, Barcelona, Spain
Marí-Dell'Olmo, M:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Inst Invest Biomed Sant Pau IIB SANT PAU, Sant Quinti 08041, Barcelona, Spain
Inst Salud Carlos III, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Epidemiol & Salud Publ CIBER, C Monforte Lemos 3-5, Madrid 28029, Spain
Bartoll, X:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Inst Invest Biomed Sant Pau IIB SANT PAU, Sant Quinti 08041, Barcelona, Spain
Pérez, K:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Inst Invest Biomed Sant Pau IIB SANT PAU, Sant Quinti 08041, Barcelona, Spain
Inst Salud Carlos III, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Epidemiol & Salud Publ CIBER, C Monforte Lemos 3-5, Madrid 28029, Spain
Gómez-Gutiérrez, A:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Inst Invest Biomed Sant Pau IIB SANT PAU, Sant Quinti 08041, Barcelona, Spain
Bereziartua, A:
Univ Pais Vasco UPV EHU, Fac Med, Dept Med Prevent & Salud Publ, Barrio Sarriena S-N, E-48940 Leioa, Spain
Biogipuzkoa Hlth Res Inst, Grp Environm Epidemiol & Child Dev, Paseo Doctor Begiristain S-N, Donostia San Sebastian 20014, Spain
Lertxundi, A:
Inst Salud Carlos III, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Epidemiol & Salud Publ CIBER, C Monforte Lemos 3-5, Madrid 28029, Spain
Univ Pais Vasco UPV EHU, Fac Med, Dept Med Prevent & Salud Publ, Barrio Sarriena S-N, E-48940 Leioa, Spain
Biogipuzkoa Hlth Res Inst, Grp Environm Epidemiol & Child Dev, Paseo Doctor Begiristain S-N, Donostia San Sebastian 20014, Spain
Font-Ribera, L:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona ASPB, Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain
Inst Invest Biomed Sant Pau IIB SANT PAU, Sant Quinti 08041, Barcelona, Spain
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