Children with adequate sleep duration were more likely to actively commute to school, and adolescents who consumed breakfast daily were more likely to commute independently to school, suggesting preceding behaviours may influence school commuting patterns.
Children with adequate sleep duration were more likely to actively commute to school.
The association between adequate sleep duration and active commuting to school was stronger in boys than in the overall child sample.
Adolescents who consumed breakfast daily were more likely to commute independently to school.
No significant associations were found between sleep duration and independent mobility in children, or between sleep duration and commuting behaviors in adolescents.
No significant association was found between daily breakfast consumption and active commuting to school in either children or adolescents.
The study was cross-sectional in design, involving 1381 Spanish youth across 27 schools in 11 cities.
This research suggests that certain morning habits — specifically getting enough sleep and eating breakfast — may be linked to how children and teenagers travel to school. Among younger children (ages 6-11), those who got adequate sleep were about three times more likely to walk or cycle to school rather than being driven. This effect was particularly strong in boys, who were more than six times as likely to use active travel when they slept enough. Among teenagers (ages 12-17), those who ate breakfast every day were about 1.5 times more likely to travel to school independently, without adult supervision. The study involved over 1,300 children and adolescents across 27 schools in 11 Spanish cities. All information was collected through self-reported questionnaires, and the researchers used statistical methods that accounted for differences between schools. Because this was a snapshot study (cross-sectional), it cannot prove that sleep or breakfast directly causes children to commute differently — only that these habits tend to occur together. This research suggests that promoting healthy sleep habits and regular breakfast eating among young people could be connected to broader patterns of active and independent living, including how they get to school. Families, schools, and communities may all play a role in supporting these behaviors. However, many other associations tested in the study — such as the link between breakfast and active commuting, or sleep and independent travel — did not reach statistical significance, indicating the relationships are complex and may differ by age and gender.
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Upload Your LabsRamírez-Osuna A, Huertas-Delgado F, Aibar-Solana A, Chillón P, Campos-Garzón P. (2026). Are sleep and breakfast behaviours predictors of active or independent commuting to school in Spanish youth?. BMC public health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29160-9