Keep cycling!

The objective of the study recently published by Dr. Elling Bere et al. in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity was to assess the longitudinal association between cycling to school and weight status in two cities where cycling to school is common - Kristiansand (Norway) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands). Data from the ENDORSE (Rotterdam) and YOUTH IN BALANCE (Kristiansand) studies were used. Both studies were longitudinal studies with two years between the two measurements and both studies were among students in early adolesence (13.2 and 13.4 years at the start of the study). We categorized the students according to their mode of commuting to school at the two measurements: NO cycling at both measurements, STARTED cycling to school, STOPPED cycling and CONTINUED cycling. Measured weight and height were obtained at both time points, and weight status (overweight vs. not overweight) was calculated using international classification criteria for BMI from the International Obesity Task Force. The two datasets were analyzed separately and together. The results showed that those who stopped cycling had a three times greater odds of being overweight at the end of the study while those continued cycling had more than half the odds of being overweight, as compared to the other three groups together. The same trend was observed in both study samples. This study thus indicates that kids should continue to cycle to school; it is not only a fun, fit and environmentally friendly means of transportation, it may also help to avoid becoming overweight.