 higher income, and vehicle ownership are negatively associated with active travel to school, while higher public school density is positively associated with choice of an active travel mode.
- Even in favorable circumstances for active travel to school, the employment circumstances of parents or caregivers may deter children from walking to school.
- When parents are active, their children are also more likely to be active. Poor sidewalk quality also deters parents from letting children use active modes for their school trip.
Hyunsoo Parka, Robert B. Nolanda. (2013). Active school trips: associations with caregiver walking frequency. Transport Policy, 29, 23-38
- Few reports examined long term predictors of children's active commuting to school (walking or cycling to school, ACS).
- To identify predictors of ACS over one school year among a sample of children with relatively high rates of ACS.
- Parents were surveyed in September 2010 (Time 1) and April 2011 (Time 2). The dependent variable was children's commuting 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 Co