 likely to live near the school they attend (McDonald, 2008).
- The odds of walking and bicycling to school are 40% lower in girls than in boys (McMillan, et al., 2006).
- Results show that children who pass completed Safe Routes to School projects are more likely to show increases in walking or bicycle travel than are children who do not pass by projects (15% vs. 4%), supporting the effectiveness of Safe Routes to School construction projects (Boarnet, et al., 2005).
- A review of the success of the Safe Routes to School program in Marin County reports a 64% increase in the number of children walking to school, a 114% increase in the number of students biking, and a 91% increase in the number of students carpooling (Staunton, et al., 2003).
Academic Research Articles and Findings:
- State-level school physical activity policies are currently not implemented on a broad level, often have weak and non-specific language, and may not effectively monitor implementation.
- At the time of study, only 16 states had policies on minutes of physical activity during the school day/week or minutes or percent of physical education to be spent in physical activity.
- No policies were rated as having strong wording, defined in this study as specifying moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and wording on implementation and monitoring.
- This research study examined state-level policies collected by the RJWF Bridging the Gap (BTG) program in 2011. Policies were rated as weak, moderate, and strong in specifying minutes of physical activity in physical education or during school.
- The researchers also interviewed state-level physical education coordinators about implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of policies.
Carlson JA, Sallis JF, Chriqui JF, Schneider L, McDermid LC, Agron P. (2013). State policies about physical activity minutes in physical education or during school. Journal of School Health 83, 150-156.
- Comprehensive physical activity programs in school settings can affect physical activity, health, and academic performance.
- Students participate in much of their physical activity through physical education classes, but schools can help increase students’ activity levels by strengthening curriculum and increasing opportunities outside these classes.
- State and school district wellness policies should include stronger goals and requirements for daily physical activity.
- Joint use agreements can encourage physical activity after school and on weekends, especially in low-income, inner-city, and rural areas with fewer recreational facilities.
- This research synthesis summarizes evidence about different ways schools can promote physical activity.
Ward, D.S. (2011). School Policies on Physical Education and Physical Activity: A Research Synthesis. Active Living Research.
- Measuring the built environment can help assess needs and set priorities for creating healthy community design.
- The built environment includes buildings, roads, sidewalks, utilities, homes, transit, fixtures, parks and all other man-made entities that form the physical characteristics of a community.
- The BE Tool assess as core set of features selected by research experts: built environment infrastructure (e.g., road type, curb cuts/ramps, intersections/crosswalks, traffic control, transportation), walkability (e.g. sidewalk/path features, walking safety, aesthetics & amenities), bikeability (e.g., bicycle lane/path features), recreational sites and structures, and the food environment (e.g., access to grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers markets, etc.).
- The built environment can influence health by affecting rates of physical activity, air pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter that can exacerbate asthma and respiratory disease, and emissions of carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change.
- The manual provides background on the importance of the built environment and health and describes data collection and analysis processes for the BE Tool. The tool, instructions, and a data coding and scoring table are included.
- The