What distance do university students walk and bike daily to class in Spain

- The distance that university students walk or cycle to university is unknown.
- The threshold distance that discriminates walkers and passive commuters is 2.6 km.
- The threshold distance that discriminates cyclists and passive commuters is 5.1 km.
- Decisions on the location of student accommodations should consider these distances.

IntroductionPhysical activity levels are low in the general population and these levels decrease from childhood to adolescence, as well as from adolescence to adulthood. Active commuting (AC) is an opportunity to increase the physical activity levels. The distance between home and destinations is a main correlate of AC; however, the distance that university students walk or cycle to university is unknown.MethodsParticipants self-reported their modes and time of commuting to and from university in a questionnaire, and the main mode of commuting was identified. Moreover, they reported their home address, and the Spanish version of Mapquest software was used to measure street-network distance (kilometers) from home to university. The 'threshold' distance for walking and cycling was calculated through the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses.ResultsAC rates decreased with longer distances from home to university for walk (p<0.001) and bike (p=0.002). The threshold distance that university students walked was 2.6 km and the threshold distance that they cycled was 5.1 km.ConclusionPublic health decisions at university should consider the distance that students actually walk and cycle. Locating university accommodation facilities within a walkable or cyclable distance from university might increase the AC rates among the university population.