Enhance physical activity through school-based active transport interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Cycling, as a form of active transport, had become a public health issue, relevant for maintaining a sustainable level of daily physical activity. School-based interventions promoting active transport had the potential to encourage more young people to adopt physically active lifestyles, but their impact, designs, and target populations in the literature remained limited. The concept of physical literacy held great promise for developing sustainable education interventions in physical activity, but it had not yet been adapted to the specificities of cycling. This systematic review examined how physical education teachers could design active transport interventions to promote sustained engagement in physical activity. Method: Using the PI(E)CO framework and PRISMA checklist, a research algorithm was applied across eleven databases. The eligibility criteria included school-aged populations, active transport interventions to and/or from school, primary studies, quantitative physical activity outcomes, and English language publications. Results: Six studies were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Half of these studies had implicitly designed their interventions following the four dimensions of physical literacy, while the other half focused only on the physical dimension. The meta-analysis indicated a non-significant increase in physical activity but a significant negative association between the age of participants and physical activity outcomes. The two studies with the highest impact on physical activity had undertaken a design following the four dimensions of physical literacy adapted to active transport. Discussion/Conclusion: To achieve the effectiveness of active transport school-based interventions, physical education teachers needed to follow the four dimensions of the physical literacy concept from early primary school age.