mmuting mode to school (active versus passive). Independent variables included: 1) parents' outcome expectations (from Social Cognitive Theory: the expected risks/benefits for their child doing ACS), 2) distance to school, 3) participation in an adult-led walk to school group, 4) temperature, and 5) child demographics. Generalized mixed-models estimated odds ratios for ACS (n=369 or 49.7% of Time 1 respondents).
- ACS was associated with the following:
- males (OR=2.59, 95% CI [1.57-4.30])
- adult-led walk to school group participation (OR=1.80, 95% CI [1.14-2.86])
- parents' outcome expectations (OR=1.26, 95% CI [1.14-1.39])
- temperature (OR=1.03, 95% CI [1.01-1.07)
- distance to school (OR=0.23, 95% CI [0.14-0.37])
- Latino ethnicity (OR=0.28, 95% CI [0.12-0.65]).
- CONCLUSIONS: Programs and policies sensitive to parents' concerns, e.g. adult-led walk to school groups, and targeting Latinos and girls appear promising for increasing ACS.
Mendoza JA, Cowan D, Liu Y. (2013). Predictors of Children's Active Commuting to School: An Observational Evaluation in Five US Communities. J Phys Act Health. Epublished.
- We assessed changes in transit-associated walking in the United States from 2001 to 2009 and documented their importance to public health.
- We examined transit walk times using the National Household Travel Survey, a telephone survey administered by the US Department of Transportation to examine travel behavior in the United States.
- People are more likely to transit walk if they are from lower income households, are non-White, and live in large urban areas with access to rail systems. Transit walkers in large urban areas with a rail system were 72% more likely to transit walk 30 minutes or more per day than were those without a rail system. From 2001 to 2009, the estimated number of transit walkers rose from 7.5 million to 9.6 million (a 28% increase); those whose transit-associated walking time was 30 minutes or more increased from approximately 2.6 million to 3.4 million (a 31% increase).
- Transit wal