Received: 03-Jun-2022, Manuscript No. IJNPE-22-73558; Editor assigned: 06-Jun-2022, Pre QC No. IJNPE-22-73558 (PQ); Reviewed: 20-Jun-2022, QC No. IJNPE-22-73558; Revised: 27-Jun-2022, Manuscript No. IJNPE-22-73558 (R); Published: 04-Jul-2022, DOI: 10.15651/IJNPE.22.3.008
In 2030, more than 80% of the European population is predicted to reside in cities. European citie’s growth models have been characterised by an expansion into peripheral areas, culminating in the decentralisation of services (e.g., schools), changing mobility patterns, increasing the use of private vehicles for school travel, and, as a result, reducing active transportation, such as walking or cycling. This reliance on automobiles has had a number of harmful effects on the environment. Cars, for example, release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide that contribute to global warming. Concerns have been raised about the environmental repercussions of decreased Active Commuting to School (ACS) patterns, such as greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, and traffic congestion. Furthermore, automobile dependency creates traffic congestion around schools as well as negative health consequences due to lower levels of Physical Activity (PA). The World Health Organization advises urban designers to support physical activity the design of urban areas, as well as to promote active transportation as a viable alternative to motorised modes of transit. Several factors have been identified as influencing the choice to do Active Commuting to School (ACS). Intra-individual factors related to Active Commuting to School (ACS) include, for example, demographic and psycho-social factors (e.g., income, age, perception of competence, etc.), the built and social cultural environment (e.g., distance, neighbourhood walkability, perceived safety, parent’s attitudes, etc.), and the policy regulatory environment (e.g., school planning or location, and zoning policies).
Some of these important elements (for example, distance and traffic volume) should be taken into account in active commuting to school promotion activities. The likelihood of using motorised transportation increases as the distance travelled increases. An ecological view, on the other hand, would imply that this link is tempered by intra individual, interpersonal, or environmental variables, because various other factors, besides distance, have been recognised as key determinants relating the decision to actively travel. Furthermore, some of these elements, such as school location and school choice, may be the consequence of decisions. Traditionally, children attended the school closest to their houses (i.e., "neighbourhood school"), but in many nations throughout the world, parents are free to send their children to any school of their choice. In Spain, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training is in charge of all aspects of education. However, seventeen autonomous areas have some discretion over their own education systems. Over the previous three decades, national educational authorities have updated school choice laws, introducing two types of school choice:
• An option of inter-district schools or a distinct educational zone (i.e., inter-district choice allows families to send their children to any public school in the district where they reside)
• A school within the district or a zoning model (i.e., in intra-district open enrollment, families may choose to send their children to any type of school located within their resident school district).
The government of the region where this study was done (i.e., the Community of Aragon) implemented an intradistrict school choice policy (i.e., zoning model), in which two school management types (public and private) coexist. One of the distinguishing features of the schooling system in the Community of Aragon is its dual structure, consisting mostly of public sector supply but with a significant private sector component.