Javier Molina‐garcía
Biographic Data
| ID | 4417906 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Javier Molina‐garcía |
| GIVEN NAMES | Javier |
| FAMILY NAME | Molina‐garcía |
| SIGNATURE | GARCÍA J M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universitat de València |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6713-5936 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Internationally Validated Open Access Indicators of Large Public Urban Green Space for Healthy and Sustainable Cities
Large public urban green spaces (LPUGS) provide multiple health and environmental co‐benefits by mitigating urban heat, improving air quality and biodiversity, and promoting physical activity, social interactions, and mental wellbeing. There is a lack of accessible, evidence‐informed, and internationally validated LPUGS indicators to assist with benchmarking and monitoring progress toward healthy and sustainable cities globally. This study develo…
Global Healthy and Sustainable City Indicators: Collaborative development of an open science toolkit for calculating and reporting on urban indicators internationally
Measuring and monitoring progress towards achieving healthy, equitable and sustainable cities is a priority for planners, policymakers and researchers in diverse contexts globally. Yet data collection, analysis, visualisation and reporting on policy and spatial indicators involve specialised knowledge, skills, and collaboration across disciplines. Integrated open-source tools for calculating and communicating urban indicators for diverse urban co…
Parental neighbourhood perceptions and active commuting to school in children according to their sex using a self-organised map approach: A cross-sectional study
These findings support the idea that ACS behaviour depends on the interaction of diverse built environment factors. Our results also suggest that parental perceptions had different effects according to the sex of the child, with ACS in boys being more influenced by these perceptions. In the case of girls, it is possible that ACS interventions should emphasise generating child-friendly social environments in addition to strategies to improve the b…
Evaluating the performance of spatial indicators of destination accessibility for physical activity research: A Comparative International Analysis
Are Spanish adolescents who actively commute to and from school more active in other domains? A spatiotemporal investigation
We examined the association between mode of commuting to/from school (i.e., walking, multimodal, and motorized-vehicle) and movement behaviours in several space-time domains (i.e., total day, home, school, transport, and other locations). Walking to and/or from school was associated with higher MVPA in all space-time domains except home, where no associations were found. After subtracting commuting time to/from school from total day domain, the a…
The Effect of a School-Based Intervention on Children’s Cycling Knowledge, Mode of Commuting and Perceived Barriers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The low rates of active commuting to/from school in Spain, especially by bike, and the wide range of cycling interventions in the literature show that this is a necessary research subject. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the feasibility of a school-based cycling intervention program for adolescents, (2) to analyse the effectiveness of a school-based cycling intervention program on the rates of cycling and other forms of active commutin…
Do Active Commuters Feel More Competent and Vital? A Self-Organizing Maps Analysis in University Students
University students represent a population that faces high risks regarding physical inactivity. Research suggests that a regular engagement in physical activity (PA) may be more likely established when it leads to the experience of subjective vitality. Subjective vitality, in turn, is more likely achieved through physical activities that individuals feel competent in, and that take place in natural outdoor environments. An activity that may fulfi…
The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers
Research on physical activity (PA) in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions promote a healthy school lifestyle in early childhood education (ECE). The aims of this study were: (a) to analyse the PA levels of preschoolers during school hours, as well as the rate of compliance with specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA); (b) to examine the role of structured movement sessions and rece…
A School-Based Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Cycling to School in Adolescents: The Paco Study
This manuscript describes the rationale and protocol of a school-based randomized controlled trial called "Cycling and Walk to School" (PACO, by its Spanish acronym) that aims to promote cycling to and from school and physical activity (PA) in adolescents. This study will examine the effects of this intervention in cycling and active commuting to and from school (ACS), PA and several ACS-related factors based on self-determination theory (SDT) an…
Children and Parental Barriers to Active Commuting to School: A Comparison Study
The main objectives of this study were: to compare the barriers to active commuting to and from school (ACS) between children and their parents separately for children and adolescents; and to analyze the association between ACS and the children's and parents' barriers. A total of 401 child-parent pairs, from Granada, Jaén, Toledo and Valencia, self-reported, separately, their mode of commuting to school and work, respectively, and the children's …
Associations between Park and Playground Availability and Proximity and Children’s Physical Activity and Body Mass Index: The Beach Study
A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds and physical activity (PA). Moreover, the accessibility to parks and playgrounds and its association with active commuting to/from school (ACS) and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. The sample was composed of children aged 6-12 years old from the BEACH (Built Environment and Active CHildren) study in Valencia, Spain…
Ecological correlates of Spanish preschoolers’ physical activity and sedentary behaviours during structured movement sessions
From an ecological perspective that understands health behaviours to be the result of interactions between personal, psychosocial and environmental factors, different authors have described patterns and correlations between physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB) in physical education (PE). However, to our knowledge there have been no systematic evaluations of the PA levels and patterns during structured movement sessions in preschoo…
Transformational Teaching in Physical Education and Students’ Leisure-Time Physical Activity: The Mediating Role of Learning Climate, Passion and Self-Determined Motivation
In the context of education, this study examined the relationship between perceiving a transformational physical education (PE) teacher and student's leisure-time physical activity (PA). Furthermore, we tested the potential mediation role of motivational learning climate, passion and self-determined motivation in this relationship. The sample was composed of 2210 high-school PE students (1145 males, 1065 females) between 16 and 20 years of age. R…
School Neighbourhood Built Environment Assessment for Adolescents’ Active Transport to School: Modification of an Environmental Audit Tool and Protocol (Maps Global-SN)
School neighbourhood built environments (SN-BE) can influence adolescents' active transport to school habits. Typically, SN-BE assessment has involved micro-scale (i.e., environmental audits) or macro-scale (Geographic Information Systems (GIS)) assessment tools. However, existing environmental audits are time/resource-intensive and not specific to school neighbourhoods, while GIS databases are not generally purposed to include micro-scale data. …
A GIS-Based Method for Analysing the Association Between School-Built Environment and Home-School Route Measures with Active Commuting to School in Urban Children and Adolescents
In the current call for a greater human health and well-being as a sustainable development goal, to encourage active commuting to and from school (ACS) seems to be a key factor. Research focusing on the analysis of the association between environmental factors and ACS in children and adolescents has reported limited and inconclusive evidence, so more knowledge is needed about it. The main aim of this study is to examine the association between di…
Neighborhood Built Environment and Socioeconomic Status are Associated with Active Commuting and Sedentary Behavior, but not with Leisure-Time Physical Activity, in University Students
The role of neighborhood characteristics in promoting physical activity and sedentary behaviors (SB) has not been extensively studied in university students. The study purpose was to analyze the associations of neighborhood built environment and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) with active commuting, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and SB among university students. This is a cross-sectional study of 308 undergraduate students from t…
Built Environment, Psychosocial Factors and Active Commuting to School in Adolescents: Clustering a Self-Organizing Map Analysis
Although the built environment and certain psychosocial factors are related to adolescents' active commuting to and from school (ACS), their interrelationships have not been explored in depth. This study describes these interrelationships and behavioral profiles via a self-organizing map (SOM) analysis. The sample comprised 465 adolescents from the IPEN (International Physical Activity and the Environment Network) Adolescent study in Valencia, Sp…
Multifactorial combinations predicting active vs inactive stages of change for physical activity in adolescents considering built environment and psychosocial factors: A classification tree approach
Ecological correlates of Spanish preschoolers’ physical activity during school recess
Early childhood education (ECE) institutions may be one place for young children to obtain a significant proportion of their daily physical activity (PA). Even though young children are generally considered to be very active, and recess time is considered an important environmental factor for promoting PA, evidence suggests that young children spend most recess time participating in sedentary activities. To our knowledge there have been no system…
Health-related messages about physical activity promotion: An analysis of photographs on social networking sites of universities
The main aim of this study was to examine how different physical activity domains are represented on the official social media sites of Spanish universities, through a content analysis of the photographs. Our results show that the representation of different physical activity domains is not balanced. While the analysed images do promote a message of gender equality in sedentary and leisure time physical activity behaviour, pictures illustrating a…
Bicycling to university: Evaluation of a bicycle-sharing program in Spain
This study examined the change in behavioral stages (e.g. contemplation, action and maintenance) of cycling to university before and after the implementation of a new public bicycle share program (PBSP) and promotion of its use. The study also determined the change in the prevalence, correlates of PBSP use and potential role in the promotion of healthy weight. An 8-month follow-up cross-sectional study (September 2010-April 2011) was carried out …
Ecological correlates of Spanish adolescents’ physical activity during physical education classes
The public health benefit of school physical education (PE) depends in large part on physical activity (PA) provided during class. According to the literature, PE has a valuable role in public health, and PA levels during PE classes depend on a wide range of factors. The main objective of this study, based on ecological models of behaviour, was to analyse what personal, psychosocial and environmental factors were associated with moderate to vigor…
Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in University Students
An analysis of psychological well-being (self-esteem and subjective vitality) of 639 Spanish university students was performed, while accounting for the amount of leisure-time physical activity. The Spanish versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Subjective Vitality Scale were employed. Participants were divided into four groups (Low, Moderate, High, and Very high) depending on estimation of energy expenditure in leisure-time physical act…
Adiposidad corporal y bienestar psicológico: Efectos de la actividad física en universitarios de Valencia, España
Increased physical activity is of great value to public health because, in addition to helping to reduce body fat, it improves psychological well-being and self-image
Multifactorial combinations predicting active vs inactive stages of change for physical activity in adolescents considering built environment and psychosocial factors: A classification tree approach
Ecological correlates of Spanish adolescents’ physical activity during physical education classes
The public health benefit of school physical education (PE) depends in large part on physical activity (PA) provided during class. According to the literature, PE has a valuable role in public health, and PA levels during PE classes depend on a wide range of factors. The main objective of this study, based on ecological models of behaviour, was to analyse what personal, psychosocial and environmental factors were associated with moderate to vigor…
Adiposidad corporal y bienestar psicológico: Efectos de la actividad física en universitarios de Valencia, España
Increased physical activity is of great value to public health because, in addition to helping to reduce body fat, it improves psychological well-being and self-image
Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in University Students
An analysis of psychological well-being (self-esteem and subjective vitality) of 639 Spanish university students was performed, while accounting for the amount of leisure-time physical activity. The Spanish versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Subjective Vitality Scale were employed. Participants were divided into four groups (Low, Moderate, High, and Very high) depending on estimation of energy expenditure in leisure-time physical act…
Bicycling to university: Evaluation of a bicycle-sharing program in Spain
This study examined the change in behavioral stages (e.g. contemplation, action and maintenance) of cycling to university before and after the implementation of a new public bicycle share program (PBSP) and promotion of its use. The study also determined the change in the prevalence, correlates of PBSP use and potential role in the promotion of healthy weight. An 8-month follow-up cross-sectional study (September 2010-April 2011) was carried out …
Ecological correlates of Spanish adolescents’ physical activity during physical education classes
The public health benefit of school physical education (PE) depends in large part on physical activity (PA) provided during class. According to the literature, PE has a valuable role in public health, and PA levels during PE classes depend on a wide range of factors. The main objective of this study, based on ecological models of behaviour, was to analyse what personal, psychosocial and environmental factors were associated with moderate to vigor…
Health-related messages about physical activity promotion: An analysis of photographs on social networking sites of universities
The main aim of this study was to examine how different physical activity domains are represented on the official social media sites of Spanish universities, through a content analysis of the photographs. Our results show that the representation of different physical activity domains is not balanced. While the analysed images do promote a message of gender equality in sedentary and leisure time physical activity behaviour, pictures illustrating a…
Ecological correlates of Spanish preschoolers’ physical activity during school recess
Early childhood education (ECE) institutions may be one place for young children to obtain a significant proportion of their daily physical activity (PA). Even though young children are generally considered to be very active, and recess time is considered an important environmental factor for promoting PA, evidence suggests that young children spend most recess time participating in sedentary activities. To our knowledge there have been no system…
Built Environment, Psychosocial Factors and Active Commuting to School in Adolescents: Clustering a Self-Organizing Map Analysis
Although the built environment and certain psychosocial factors are related to adolescents' active commuting to and from school (ACS), their interrelationships have not been explored in depth. This study describes these interrelationships and behavioral profiles via a self-organizing map (SOM) analysis. The sample comprised 465 adolescents from the IPEN (International Physical Activity and the Environment Network) Adolescent study in Valencia, Sp…
Multifactorial combinations predicting active vs inactive stages of change for physical activity in adolescents considering built environment and psychosocial factors: A classification tree approach
Neighborhood Built Environment and Socioeconomic Status are Associated with Active Commuting and Sedentary Behavior, but not with Leisure-Time Physical Activity, in University Students
The role of neighborhood characteristics in promoting physical activity and sedentary behaviors (SB) has not been extensively studied in university students. The study purpose was to analyze the associations of neighborhood built environment and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) with active commuting, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and SB among university students. This is a cross-sectional study of 308 undergraduate students from t…
Transformational Teaching in Physical Education and Students’ Leisure-Time Physical Activity: The Mediating Role of Learning Climate, Passion and Self-Determined Motivation
In the context of education, this study examined the relationship between perceiving a transformational physical education (PE) teacher and student's leisure-time physical activity (PA). Furthermore, we tested the potential mediation role of motivational learning climate, passion and self-determined motivation in this relationship. The sample was composed of 2210 high-school PE students (1145 males, 1065 females) between 16 and 20 years of age. R…
School Neighbourhood Built Environment Assessment for Adolescents’ Active Transport to School: Modification of an Environmental Audit Tool and Protocol (Maps Global-SN)
School neighbourhood built environments (SN-BE) can influence adolescents' active transport to school habits. Typically, SN-BE assessment has involved micro-scale (i.e., environmental audits) or macro-scale (Geographic Information Systems (GIS)) assessment tools. However, existing environmental audits are time/resource-intensive and not specific to school neighbourhoods, while GIS databases are not generally purposed to include micro-scale data. …
A GIS-Based Method for Analysing the Association Between School-Built Environment and Home-School Route Measures with Active Commuting to School in Urban Children and Adolescents
In the current call for a greater human health and well-being as a sustainable development goal, to encourage active commuting to and from school (ACS) seems to be a key factor. Research focusing on the analysis of the association between environmental factors and ACS in children and adolescents has reported limited and inconclusive evidence, so more knowledge is needed about it. The main aim of this study is to examine the association between di…
The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers
Research on physical activity (PA) in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions promote a healthy school lifestyle in early childhood education (ECE). The aims of this study were: (a) to analyse the PA levels of preschoolers during school hours, as well as the rate of compliance with specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA); (b) to examine the role of structured movement sessions and rece…
A School-Based Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Cycling to School in Adolescents: The Paco Study
This manuscript describes the rationale and protocol of a school-based randomized controlled trial called "Cycling and Walk to School" (PACO, by its Spanish acronym) that aims to promote cycling to and from school and physical activity (PA) in adolescents. This study will examine the effects of this intervention in cycling and active commuting to and from school (ACS), PA and several ACS-related factors based on self-determination theory (SDT) an…
Children and Parental Barriers to Active Commuting to School: A Comparison Study
The main objectives of this study were: to compare the barriers to active commuting to and from school (ACS) between children and their parents separately for children and adolescents; and to analyze the association between ACS and the children's and parents' barriers. A total of 401 child-parent pairs, from Granada, Jaén, Toledo and Valencia, self-reported, separately, their mode of commuting to school and work, respectively, and the children's …
Associations between Park and Playground Availability and Proximity and Children’s Physical Activity and Body Mass Index: The Beach Study
A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds and physical activity (PA). Moreover, the accessibility to parks and playgrounds and its association with active commuting to/from school (ACS) and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. The sample was composed of children aged 6-12 years old from the BEACH (Built Environment and Active CHildren) study in Valencia, Spain…
Ecological correlates of Spanish preschoolers’ physical activity and sedentary behaviours during structured movement sessions
From an ecological perspective that understands health behaviours to be the result of interactions between personal, psychosocial and environmental factors, different authors have described patterns and correlations between physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB) in physical education (PE). However, to our knowledge there have been no systematic evaluations of the PA levels and patterns during structured movement sessions in preschoo…
The Effect of a School-Based Intervention on Children’s Cycling Knowledge, Mode of Commuting and Perceived Barriers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The low rates of active commuting to/from school in Spain, especially by bike, and the wide range of cycling interventions in the literature show that this is a necessary research subject. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the feasibility of a school-based cycling intervention program for adolescents, (2) to analyse the effectiveness of a school-based cycling intervention program on the rates of cycling and other forms of active commutin…
Do Active Commuters Feel More Competent and Vital? A Self-Organizing Maps Analysis in University Students
University students represent a population that faces high risks regarding physical inactivity. Research suggests that a regular engagement in physical activity (PA) may be more likely established when it leads to the experience of subjective vitality. Subjective vitality, in turn, is more likely achieved through physical activities that individuals feel competent in, and that take place in natural outdoor environments. An activity that may fulfi…
Are Spanish adolescents who actively commute to and from school more active in other domains? A spatiotemporal investigation
We examined the association between mode of commuting to/from school (i.e., walking, multimodal, and motorized-vehicle) and movement behaviours in several space-time domains (i.e., total day, home, school, transport, and other locations). Walking to and/or from school was associated with higher MVPA in all space-time domains except home, where no associations were found. After subtracting commuting time to/from school from total day domain, the a…
Internationally Validated Open Access Indicators of Large Public Urban Green Space for Healthy and Sustainable Cities
Large public urban green spaces (LPUGS) provide multiple health and environmental co‐benefits by mitigating urban heat, improving air quality and biodiversity, and promoting physical activity, social interactions, and mental wellbeing. There is a lack of accessible, evidence‐informed, and internationally validated LPUGS indicators to assist with benchmarking and monitoring progress toward healthy and sustainable cities globally. This study develo…
Global Healthy and Sustainable City Indicators: Collaborative development of an open science toolkit for calculating and reporting on urban indicators internationally
Measuring and monitoring progress towards achieving healthy, equitable and sustainable cities is a priority for planners, policymakers and researchers in diverse contexts globally. Yet data collection, analysis, visualisation and reporting on policy and spatial indicators involve specialised knowledge, skills, and collaboration across disciplines. Integrated open-source tools for calculating and communicating urban indicators for diverse urban co…
Parental neighbourhood perceptions and active commuting to school in children according to their sex using a self-organised map approach: A cross-sectional study
These findings support the idea that ACS behaviour depends on the interaction of diverse built environment factors. Our results also suggest that parental perceptions had different effects according to the sex of the child, with ACS in boys being more influenced by these perceptions. In the case of girls, it is possible that ACS interventions should emphasise generating child-friendly social environments in addition to strategies to improve the b…
Evaluating the performance of spatial indicators of destination accessibility for physical activity research: A Comparative International Analysis
Medicine (20 works) · Psychology (20 works) · Urban Transport and Accessibility (15 works) · Physical activity (14 works) · Geography (11 works) · Physical Activity and Health (11 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (10 works) · Physical therapy (10 works) · Environmental health (9 works) · Social Psychology (9 works)