PACO & PACA

Physical inactivity in the early childhood is recognised as one of the main risk factors of chronic diseases. It is associated with the increase of obesity levels and other medical disorders. In Spain, children and adolescents do not meet the minimum physical activity levels for heath. Active transport is one of the daily moments when children and teenagers can be physically active.

Active transport to school contributes to youth’s cardiopulmonary fitness improvement, especially when cycling. It is also related to the adoption of healthy habits, such as a healthy nutrition and the improvement of the body composition. It can positively influence the cognitive function in female children as well, it is associated to the improvement of academic skills, and it is related with higher levels of emotional wellness and less psychological issues.

Our project in Castilla-La Mancha pretends to go deeper into the knowledge on active commuting to school, and has three major objectives:
– Objective 1: To analyse the modes of transport to school within the current adolescent population from Castilla-La Mancha.
– Objective 2: To analyse the physical environment and psychosocial (family and other agents such as peers) influences of active commuting to school within adolescents.
– Objective 3: To design, implement and analyse the effect of an intervention for the promotion of active commuting and null greenhouse effect emissions to school, by using guidelines and practical recommendations to design sustainable and safe routes, as well as the use of mobile applications created ad hoc for the project.

Alongside the Education, Culture and Sports Department, we work to gather efforts in order to improve social and environmental wellness in the region of Castilla-La Mancha.
The alarm state and the lockdown have reminded us that the public health-based improvement and the progress in the cities design have historically been developed together. In these uncertain times, health-awareness reconquers urban planning This offers us an opportunity that we cannot waste to let sustainability and physical and social wellbeing achieve their rightful place.

We wish to take knowledge into practice from the schools’ environments.
The PACO & PACA project (Pedal and Walk to School & Pedal and Walk Home) is led by the research group in Physical Activity Promotion for Health (PAFS), from the University of Castilla-La Mancha. It aims to know the psychosocial and environmental influences that act as barriers and enablers. These results will provide designed “à la carte” specific guidance for a future effective intervention, which considers the specificities of our villages and cities. The promotion of active modes of transport is addressed from a health-based, ecologic, and sustainable perspective that includes all students.

We are aware that physical activity is integrated in the lifestyle as an active mode of transport represents a compendium of small actions that, maintained in time, provides great benefits. These benefits are geared towards children and teenager’s health, in the physical environment and the region. Moreover, this project is aligned with the Prevention, Hygiene and Promotion of Health Measures against COVID19 for schools in Castilla-La Mancha for the 2020-2021 course Beginning Plan, for physical contact limitation. Furthermore, it is also programmed according to the Active Commuting to School programme at the Healthy School Projects driven by the General Department of Youth and Sport.

PACO&PACA I+D+i

The Project of the National I+D+i (acronym for Scientific research, Development and technologic Innovation) Plan, called: “PACO y PACA” (Pedal and Walk to School and Pedal and Walk Home), aims to identify variables of the psycho-social and the physical environment influencing the choice of transport modes to school, among 3^rd course adolescents at secondary schools in the cities of Toledo, Granada, Valencia and Sevilla. The project is funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Reference: PGC2018-099512-B-I00) and emerges from the need to research on the mentioned determinants and the mean of transport to school in these cities (Toledo, Granada, Valencia and Sevilla) The obtained results will allow us to establish action plans to promote active travel among the school age population with the aim of improving their quality of life through non-motized transport. The project includes the creation of a best practices Guide to promote active commuting to school.