A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Continuity of active commuting to school across two generations: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
Authors: Suominen, Tuuli H; Kukko, Tuomas; Yang, Xiaolin; Pahkala, Katja; Rovio, Suvi; Hirvensalo, Mirja; Kähönen, Mika; Raitakari, Olli; Tammelin, Tuija H; Salin, Kasper
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication year: 2025
Journal: European Journal of Public Health
Journal name in source: European Journal of Public Health
Volume: 35
Issue: 4
First page : 745
Last page: 751
ISSN: 1101-1262
eISSN: 1464-360X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf084
Web address : https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/35/4/745/8156070
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499056214
Active commuting to school (ACS) may markedly contribute to overall physical activity (PA) among youth, but ACS levels have declined in recent decades. Parents significantly influence their children’s PA and commuting behaviours, and lifestyle habits are often transferred from parents to offspring. This study investigated whether parents’ ACS during their youth was associated with their offspring’s ACS at similar ages. In this study, 660 parent–offspring pairs self-reported their mode of school commuting: parents during 1980–86 (generation G1, ages 9–18, 53% female) and offspring in 2018 (generation G2, ages 7–20, 52% female). A path model was constructed to examine the association of ACS in G1 with ACS in G2, adjusted for generation-specific covariates (distance to school, school grade, gender, living area, parental education, and family income). Standardized path coefficients are reported, concentrating on their direction and relative strength. Distance to school was inversely associated with ACS in both generations (β ≤ −0.75; SE = 0.03; P < .001). Family income was directly associated with ACS in G1 (β = 0.18; SE = 0.05; P < .01). ACS in G1 was directly associated with ACS in G2 (β = 0.14; SE = 0.05;P < .01). A positive, albeit modest, link was found between parents’ ACS during their youth and their offspring’s ACS at similar ages, after adjusting for multiple important covariates. This intergenerational link could inform public health initiatives to foster sustainable and healthy commuting behaviours that benefit current and future generations. Ensuring accessible distances to school remains important.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
Funding information in the publication:
The YFS has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland: grants 356405, 322098, 286284, 134309 (Eye), 126925, 121584, 124282, 129378 (Salve), 117797 (Gendi), and 141071 (Skidi); the Social Insurance Institution of Finland; Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Kuopio, Tampere and Turku University Hospitals (grant X51001); Juho Vainio Foundation; Paavo Nurmi Foundation; Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; Finnish Cultural Foundation; The Sigrid Juselius Foundation; Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation; Emil Aaltonen Foundation; Yrjo € Jahnsson Foundation; Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation; Diabetes Research Foundation of Finnish Diabetes Association; EU Horizon 2020 (grant 755320 for TAXINOMISIS and grant 848146 for To Aition); European Research Council (grant 742927 for MULTIEPIGEN project); Tampere University Hospital Supporting Foundation; Finnish Society of Clinical Chemistry; the Cancer Foundation Finland; pBETTER4U_EU (Preventing obesity through Biologically and bEhaviorally Tailored inTERventions for you; project number: 101080117); CVDLink (EU grant no. 101137278) and the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture (Major, grant number: 36/626/2020). K.S. Figure 3. Directed acyclic graph of the path model (n ¼ 660, for both G1 and G2) of ACS across two generations with its covariates. Values are standardized regression coefficients (SE). Model fit: X2 ¼ 9.9 (df 11); P ¼ .538; CFI ¼ 1; TLI ¼ 1; RMSEA ¼ 0; and SRMR ¼ 0.066. Continuity of active commuting to school 749 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/35/4/745/8156070 by guest on 04 August 2025 was supported by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. K.P. is supported by the Academy of Finland research fellowship (322112)
