Abstract
This article examines the time trends in patterns of school travel mode among Canadian children and youth to inform the Active Transportation (AT) indicator of the 2013 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The AT grade was assigned based on a comprehensive synthesis of the 2000 and 2010 Physical Activity Monitor studies from the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute and the 1992, 1998, 2005, and 2010 General Social Survey from Statistics Canada. The results showed that in 2013, AT was graded a D, because less than half of Canadian children and youth used only active modes of transportation to get to and from school. The proportion of Canadian children and youth who used only inactive modes of transportation for school travel increased significantly from 51% to 62% over the last decade. Children and youth from larger communities and those with lower household income levels were significantly more likely to use AT than those living in smaller communities and those in higher income households, respectively. In conclusion, motorized transport for school travel has increased steadily over the last decade across Canada. Regional and socio-demographic disparities should be considered in efforts to increase the number of children using AT.
Highlights
IntroductionSources of physical activity that could once be counted on to ensure children and youth remain sufficiently active (e.g., walking or biking to/from school or other destinations and active outdoor play) are being engineered out of daily life and replaced by motorized travel and sedentary leisure activities (i.e., television, computer, and video game use)
The 2010 PAM data did not differ significantly from 2000 when 28% (CI, 25.2%–31.0%) of parents reported Active Transportation (AT) as the only mode of school travel used by their children and youth [16]
In 2000, 51% (CI, 47.5%–53.8%) of young people were driven to school (30% by bus or train, 15% by car, 6% by a combination of inactive modes); by 2010 the proportion of inactive travelers had increased to 62% (CI, 60.3%–64.4%) (34% by bus or train, 24% by car, 4% by a combination of inactive modes) [16] (Figure 1)
Summary
Sources of physical activity that could once be counted on to ensure children and youth remain sufficiently active (e.g., walking or biking to/from school or other destinations and active outdoor play) are being engineered out of daily life and replaced by motorized travel and sedentary leisure activities (i.e., television, computer, and video game use). Active transportation (AT; using non-motorized travel modes such as walking and cycling to/from school and other destinations) may offer an accessible and affordable solution to help young people increase their physical activity levels [3]. Systematic reviews have shown that children and youth who engage in AT for school travel spend significantly more daily time being physically active than their peers who go by motorized transport, even outside of the time spent traveling to and from school [4,5].
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