ENERGY expenditure of COmmuting to school (ENERGYCO): protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Pablo Campos-Garzón ¹ Victor Manuel Valle-Muñoz ¹ Jose Manuel Segura-Diaz ^2,3 Manuel Ávila-García ⁴ Romina Saucedo Saucedo Araujo ² Ana Ruiz-Alarcón ⁴ Francisco David López-Centeno ⁵ Unai Adriám Pérez De Arrilucea Le Floc’h ^1,6,7 Juan Manuel A. Alcántara ^10,8,9 Luis Miguel Medel-Carbonell ⁴ David Rodríguez-Sánchez ⁴ Ana Ramírez-Osuna ⁴ Marina Castillo-Barragán ⁴ Estela Águila-Lara ¹ Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado ⁴ Manuel Herrador-Colmenero ⁴ Sandra Mandic ^11,12 Palma Chillón ¹ Yaira Barranco-Ruiz ¹ Emilio Villa-González ^1*

• ¹ Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
• ² Department of Physical and Sports Education, Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Melilla, Spain
• ³ School of Education, Psychology and Sport Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain
• ⁴ “La Inmaculada” Teacher Training Centre, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
• ⁵ Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain
• ⁶ Faculty of Sport Sciences, University Isabel I, Burgos, Spain
• ⁷ Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Valencia, Alicante, Spain
• ⁸ Department of Health Sciences, Institute for Innovation & Sustainable Food Chain Development, Public University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain
• ⁹ Navarra Institute for Health Research, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
• ¹⁰ Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
• ¹¹ School of Sport and Recreation, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
• ¹² AGILE Research Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand

Introduction: This article outlines the rationale and methodology of the ENERGY expenditure of COmmuting to school study (the ENERGYCO study), a cluster-randomized controlled trial. The ENERGYCO study is divided into two phases: Phase I will aim; to assess the physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) of different modes of commuting to school (i.e., walking, cycling, and motorizedvehicle) using indirect calorimetry in Spanish adolescents; and Phase II will aim to assess the effect of a school-based cycling intervention on resting metabolic rate and PAEE, as well as on other physiological, physical, and psychosocial outcomes on Spanish adolescents. Method: For Phase I, a convenience sample of ~50 adolescents will be recruited. These participants will have their PAEE assessed in three different modes of commuting. Regarding phase II, a total of 300 adolescents from different schools in three Spanish cities will participate in this cluster randomized controlled trial. As many schools as necessary to meet the target sample will be included. In addition, each school will be randomized as either an intervention or control group. Participants from intervention schools will be asked to complete a school-based cycling intervention, while participants from control schools will be asked to continue their same habits for eight weeks. The school-based cycling intervention will last for eight weeks and will include Bikeability sessions, along with encouragement strategies to increase adherence to cycling to and from school. Conclusion: The ENERGYCO study will provide novel insights into the PAEE associated with different modes of commuting to school using indirect calorimetry, as well as a comprehensive overview of how an 8-week school-based cycling intervention impacts resting energy expenditure, daily energy expenditure, and the physical and psychosocial health of adolescents.