ENERGY Expenditure of COmmuting to School: School-Based Cycling Intervention to Improve Energy Expenditure and Health in Adolescents

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how different ways of traveling to school, such as walking, cycling, or using motorized vehicles, affect the energy used by adolescents. The study, called ENERGYCO, aims to develop formulas that predict energy use for each commuting method and to measure this energy use directly. It also evaluates how a school-based cycling program influences health measures like metabolism, physical activity, body makeup, strength, fitness, blood pressure, motor skills, and mental well-being in Spanish teenagers. The study has two parts. In the first phase, about 50 adolescents will have their energy use measured while walking, cycling, and using motorized transport. In the second phase, around 300 schoolchildren aged 12 to 16 will be randomly assigned to either take part in an eight-week cycling program or continue their usual commuting habits. The cycling program includes two Bikeability sessions during physical education classes to build cycling skills and weekly encouragement to cycle to and from school. Participants will be assessed at the start and end of the eight weeks for changes in resting metabolic rate, daily energy use, physical activity levels, fitness, body composition, and psychosocial factors. Heart rates will be monitored throughout the cycling period. Data about their cycling skills, perceptions of active commuting, and family and school characteristics will also be collected. The study will help understand how cycling to school impacts adolescent health and energy use.

The ENERGYCO Study