Perspectives From Adolescents, Parents, and Teachers on Barriers and Facilitators for European Adolescents to Cycle to and From School: A Concept Mapping Study

BACKGROUND: Active travel to/from school can contribute to adolescents' overall physical activity. This study aimed to examine factors that stimulate or discourage 12- to 15-year-old adolescents' cycling to/from school from the perspective of adolescents, parents, and teachers in 5 European countries. METHODS: We conducted concept mapping sessions with 437 secondary school students, 89 parents, and 72 teachers. Participants generated ideas regarding the needs of adolescents to cycle daily to/from school, individually sorted all ideas (on self-perceived similarity), and rated their importance (for being able to cycle to/from school) and feasibility on a 5-point Likert-scale. Clusters representing potential determinants were created using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis and categorized according the Model of Children's Active Travel. RESULTS: Participants identified 30 different potential determinants, of which 28 were by adolescents, 26 were by parents, and 26 were by teachers. Fifteen potential determinants were categorized in the "objective" environmental domain of Model of Children's Active Travel (eg, "A good and safe cycling infrastructure"); 10 in the child perceptions domain (eg, "A sense of safety"); 4 in the "objective" child, parent, and family characteristics domain (eg, "Skills & knowledge"); and 1 in the parents' perceptions domain (ie, "Parents support & perceptions"). Potential determinants considerably differed across stakeholder groups and countries. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents, parents, and teachers identified a wide range of potential determinants for cycling to/from school in adolescents. Our findings indicate that future interventions might benefit from including the perspectives of adolescents, parents, and teachers, focusing on determinants from all domains of the Model of Children's Active Travel model.