Emotional perceptions and barriers to Children's active school travel in low and high socio-economic neighbourhoods in Iran

Abstract

IntroductionWalking to schools has declined with the rise of automobility, particularly in developing countries, due to fast urbanization. Conversely, Active School Travel (AST) benefits children’s physical health and contributes to their emotional health. PurposeThis cross-sectional study has developed a new model for analyzing children's AST behavior with environmental, household, and child factors, as well as exploring the relationships between children's AST and emotional perception among children residing in low and high socio-economic neighbourhoods in Bandar Abbas, Iran. MethodsOut of 1421 questionnaires distributed among school students (grades 1 to 6) and their parents, 1001 questionnaires qualified to be used for further analysis. Smart-PLS and SPSS were used to analyse the data. ResultsTraveling by private car (34.5%) and carpool (26.2%) respectively were the most common mode of commuting to school. Safety problems, traffic issues, and distance, respectively, were the most common barriers reported by parents for AST. Higher perceived crime and traffic safety by parents was associated with a higher level of AST. Meanwhile, parent’s perceived barriers to active commuting to schools decreased the chance of AST for children. Parents who reported having higher collective efficacy in their neighbourhoods positively affected the level of their child’s AST. Model results suggest that using AST modes positively correlates with children's positive emotional perceptions. ConclusionAST should be incorporated into school plans as a viable health promotion strategy. In addition, attempts to increase AST among children should emphasize improving safety and distance perceptions to adjust children's habits and tendency towards being driven to school every day.