title: Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of active commuting to school in a nationwide representative sample of German adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of walking and cycling to school in a nationwide representative cross-sectional sample of German adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 1828 German adolescents aged 11-17 years were examined between 2003 and 2006. Mode of commuting to school was assessed using a reliable self-report measure. Socioeconomic status, migration background and residential area were assessed as socio-demographic variables using a parent-report questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 19.4% of adolescents walked and 22.2% cycled to school. Compared to girls with high socioeconomic status, girls with low socioeconomic status were more likely to walk (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.23-2.89). Migration background increased the chance of walking in girls (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.32-0.70) and decreased the chance of cycling in boys (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.35-4.24). Compared to living in cities, living in rural areas lowered the chance of walking (girls: OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.18-0.50; boys: OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32-0.93) and cycling (girls: OR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.06-0.24; boys: OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.21-0.56), and living in medium-sized towns increased the chance of cycling in girls (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.24-2.78) and boys (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.20-2.56), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Germany many adolescents use motorised transportation. Socio-demographic variables were associated with mode of commuting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany. anne.reimers@uni-konstanz.de
authors.forename: Anne K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Reimers
authors.forename: Darko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jekauc
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peterhans
authors.forename: Matthias O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Woll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods*