A scoping review of children's and adolescents' active travel in China.

BACKGROUND/

OBJECTIVE

Active travel (AT) is a frequent and feasible source of daily physical activity for school-aged youth; however, no comprehensive synthesis has mapped the evidence for China. This scoping review aimed to characterize the current research landscape on AT among children and adolescents in China and identify gaps to guide future research and policy.

METHODS

This study searched five databases (Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, and ERIC) from inception to 1 December 2025. Quantitative studies in English that examined AT among Chinese children and adolescents were included. The reviewer screened records, extracted data, and summarized study characteristics, measures, and topics.

RESULTS

Of the 6,178 records screened, 16 met the inclusion criteria. Publications have increased notably in recent years, with 75.0% appearing from 2017 to 2023. The majority of studies were cross-sectional (93.8%), and one was longitudinal (6.3%). Travel behavior was predominantly self-reported (87.5%), with device-based measures used to capture activity in 12.5% of studies, and none of the studies used devices to capture travel modes (0%). Studies primarily focused on school-aged children/adolescents in urban settings (81.3%), with a minority spanning mixed urban-rural samples (18.8%). By topic, 56.3% examined correlates, 43.8% assessed health or physical activity outcomes, and 25.0% reported AT prevalence.

CONCLUSION

Research on AT in China is growing; however, it remains dominated by cross-sectional, self-reported studies, highlighting the need for stronger designs and measures to generate decision-ready evidence. Future studies should prioritize standardized, device-based measures, longitudinal or quasi-experimental designs, and rigorous evaluations of multicomponent and infrastructure interventions that have proven effective in increasing school-based AT. Equity-focused sampling across urban-rural contexts and broader health outcomes (including mental health) is also needed, while leveraging established individual, family, and built-environment correlates to guide policy and practice in China. Moreover, mixed findings on fitness benefits suggest that careful outcome selection and a robust causal design are essential.