Abstract
Perceived safety remains one of the main barriers for children to participate in active commuting to school (ACS). This ecological study examined the associations between the number of police-reported crimes in school neighborhoods and ACS. The percentage of active travel trips was assessed from a teacher tally survey collected from students across 63 elementary schools that were primarily classified as high-poverty (n = 27). Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to create a detailed measure of police-reported crimes during 2018 and neighborhood covariates that occurred within a one-mile Euclidean buffer of the schools. Statistical analyses included linear fixed effects regressions and negative binomial regressions. In fully-adjusted models, reported crime did not exhibit significant associations with ACS. Medium-poverty schools were indirectly associated with ACS when compared to high- and low-poverty schools in all models (p < 0.05). Connectivity and vehicle ownership were also directly associated with ACS (p < 0.05). Low- and medium-poverty schools were indirectly associated with all types of reported crime when compared to high-poverty schools (p < 0.05). Although reported crime was not associated with school-level ACS, differences in ACS and reported crime do exist across school poverty levels, suggesting a need to develop and promote safe and equitable ACS interventions.
Highlights
The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that children participate in 60 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily [1]
This study examined the ecological associations between different types of policereported crime and active commuting to school of elementary-aged children at the schoollevel
As we found that children from high-poverty schools were more likely to participate in active commuting to school (ACS) compared to children from medium-poverty schools, there may be more opportunities for exposure to crime and violence along commutes [37]
Summary
The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that children participate in 60 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily [1]. Only an estimated 24% of children met the guidelines in 2016 [2]. To address the inadequate prevalence of physical activity among children, active commuting to school (ACS). Represents one environmentally sustainable and accessible opportunity for children to participate in physical activity. Evidence supports that children are more likely to meet daily physical activity guidelines and have higher levels of daily physical activity when they participate in ACS [3,4,5,6]. Despite the potential of ACS for children’s health, the proportion of children who walked or biked to school in the U.S fell from 47.7% in 1969 to.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
