Parental barriers to active commuting to school in children: does parental gender matter?

Abstract Background Children's active commuting to school (ACS) is influenced by parental attitudes, values and beliefs. Mothers and fathers may have different roles in family. This study compared mothers’ and fathers’ barriers to ACS in a sample of Spanish children. Methods Data from 463 families (child (age: 9 to 12 years, 50.5% boys), mother and father) were analyzed. Children completed a questionnaire about socio-demographic characteristics and the mode of commuting to school. Both parents completed a questionnaire about their perceived barriers to ACS. Distance from home to school was calculated using Google Maps. Data were analysed using multivariate binary logistic regression models with separate models for mothers and fathers. Results Overall, 71.7% of children used ACS. Distance, parental mode of commuting to work and perceived convenience of driving children to school emerged as significant barriers to ACS for both mothers and fathers. Child's extra-curricular activities and child's lack of interest in walking to school were also significant correlates of ACS in mothers only, but not in families that lived within a walkable distance to school. Conclusions Although some barriers to ACS were similar for both parents (distance, convenience of driving and parental mode of commuting to work), other barriers were specific to mothers (children's extra-curricular activities organization and lack of children's interest in walking to school). Interventions strategies for promoting ACS in children focusing on parents should be gender-specific.