We have just celebrated the European Mobility Week and it may be the best incentive to consider a new way of moving around the city on a daily basis: walking. Not only in order to reduce the , but to improve the health in general.
And although the rush and distances on some occasions do not facilitate this mode of transport, there are routes that can be done on foot, such as going to and from school.
And it is that pediatricians recommend walking to school whenever possible because fast walking has many benefits for the health of children:
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Lowers blood pressure values.
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Optimizes the ability to regulate levels by improving insulin sensitivity.
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And it helps prevent and reduce overweight and obesity, so prevalent in the pediatric population.
Not only physical benefits, but also mental
But these are not the only benefits of incorporating the habit of walking to school. Pediatricians draw attention to its positive effects in relation to the mental health of the little ones.
He doctor Julio Alvarez-Pitticoordinator of the Health Promotion Committee of La explains that walking to and from school allows children to:
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“Improve their orientation and concentration and, therefore, their school performance”.
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“Increases your self-esteem, reducing the risk of and anxiety.”
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“They develop greater autonomy.”
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Strengthens “relations with his family and with the community.”
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And finally, the expert points out that it also “helps children to be aware of their environment, from discovering the seasons to knowing the characteristics of the streets in their neighborhood.”
Children are more vulnerable to contamination
Another of the AEP experts, the Dr. Juan Antonio Ortega, coordinator of , also points out that we must not “forget the environmental component of reducing car use and CO2 emissions. Children are more vulnerable to urban air pollution because they breathe greater volumes of air per kilo of weight than adults.
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“Urban air pollution is significantly associated with decreased academic performance, working memory, attention, and worsens lung function in children. It is not only a way of taking care of the planet, but also the health of our children”, warns Dr. Ortega.
That is why this expert insists on the importance of promoting contact with nature to improve the health, both physical and mental, of the little ones.
Physical activity in childhood is essential
Incorporating the habit of walking to school in the daily life of students is one of the school actions that has shown the greatest impact in increasing students’ physical activity. Because walking one kilometer a day means doing up to two thirds of the physical activity recommended for children.
Pediatric experts consider that children should perform at least 60 minutes of moderate-intense physical activity a day, on a regular basis, although for it to be effective, pediatricians recall that “it is necessary to do it with a certain intensity and frequency, which in many cases is not fulfilled”.
The AEP recently collaborated in the creation of the , which was presented by the Government of Spain to reduce the incidence of this disease by 25% in the next decade.
It establishes as one of the “keys to change” to promote healthier, safer and more friendly environments where children live and grow, and marks as one of the strategic lines of the Plan “the generation of a social ecosystem that promotes physical activity and sport.
“This need to promote physical activity in children and adolescents through initiatives such as walking to school, has already been demanded by the AEP and by the other medical-scientific societies that participated in the preparation of this plan. From the Spanish Association of Pediatrics we will collaborate as much as possible, and we encourage the institutions to get down to work together”, concludes the coordinator of the AEP Health Promotion Committee.