Active School Travel Research Articles

Walking to School: What Streets Do Children Prefer?

Active school travel provides children with a daily opportunity to engage actively with their local urban environments. Despite widespread recognition that understanding the underlying factors of children’s navigation choices is crucial for developing effective environmental interventions to promote active school travel, there is limited evidence on children’s experiences regarding their school journeys. This is due in part to the fact that most studies rely on GIS-calculated routes which may not adequately represent children’s actual home-school journeys, and hence actual experiences. This study aims to identify specific environmental attributes influencing children’s navigation choices based on children’s (9–10 year olds) actual walking routes to school in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 45 pairs of selected and avoided streets were compared using a range of urban form (e.g., street connectivity measured through space syntax variables) and street design (e.g., footpath width) characteristics. Statistical analysis highlighted significant design attributes as potential determinants of navigation selections. In-depth street-level observations provided insight into the urban character of these street pairs, identifying the environmental qualities that could offer opportunities for active and safe commuting among children. This study contributes to the literature by broadening our understanding of the environmental attributes that may promote active school travel. Our findings, based on children’s actual experiences, may also inform urban planners and designers on designing inclusive child-friendly cities.

Active travel, public transport and the built environment in youth: Interactions with perceived safety, distance to school, age and gender

IntroductionThis study examined interactive effects of the built environment, perceived safety, age and gender on active travel and public transport use among adolescents for school journeys. MethodThis study used cross-sectional data from 440 adolescents (mean age 15.4 ± 1.5 years, 58% girls) in Melbourne, Australia. Adolescents self-reported their school travel modes, perceptions of traffic and personal safety. Exclusive active travel and public transport use to/from school were determined. Objective built environment features around home and school (1 km buffer) were generated. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate main and interactive associations. ResultsOverall, 18% travelled exclusively by active travel and 32% by public transport. Distance to school was negatively associated with exclusive active school travel (OR = 0.44, 95%CI: 0.34, 0.56). Distance to school moderated the association between some built environment attributes (land use mix, residential density around home, distance to public transport stops) and odds of active school travel. There was a positive association between residential density around school and active school travel among those who perceived their traffic environment to be safer. Boys were more likely than girls to use public transport if they lived further from school. A negative association between distance to a public transport stop from home and the odds of public transport use was observed among those who perceived their environment to be less safe. ConclusionThe findings highlight the complexity of influences on mode choice for the school journey. Distance to school remains one of the most important predictors of active travel/public transport use. Supportive built environment attributes, such as a diverse mix of land use around home had facilitating effects on active travel among adolescents who lived closer to school. Multilevel interventions that target both the environment and perceived safety are needed to promote active travel and public transport use among adolescents.

CHILDREN’S INDEPENDENT MOBILITY TO SCHOOL IN MALAYSIA

The concept of children’s independent mobility encourages children to participate in physical activity through active transportation. Children’s Independent Mobility (CIM) is defined as the freedom for children to move around their surrounding neighbourhood without supervised by an adult supervision. Currently, there are some concerns about the decline in children's levels of physical activity. Increased reliance on automobiles for children's daily transportation can have negative effects on the environment, as well as increase the level of childhood obesity, and reduce their sense of independence. Research suggests that independent mobility to school is an essential component of a balanced childhood, and it has positive impacts on various aspects of children's lives, such as physical health, social skills, and cognitive development. However, very few practical studies address the association between children`s independent mobility and school specifically. Investigating CIM in the specific context of children's mobility to school is important because commuting between home and school is a major issue in active school travel. Adopting literature reviews as an approach, this paper will outline some recommendations that can be used by the relevant authorities in implementing pedestrian policies and guidelines for school children based on school accessibility and connectivity to promote CIM. From the literature reviews, this paper establishes a conceptual framework for the promotion of CIM to schools in the Malaysian context. It was found that most residential areas and school surroundings in Malaysia are responsive to children`s needs but parents` mindsets hinder this concept to be successfully done.

Evaluating the Quality of Children’s Active School Travel Spaces and the Mechanisms of School District Friendliness Impact Based on Multi-Source Big Data

Evaluating the Quality of Children’s Active School Travel Spaces and the Mechanisms of School District Friendliness Impact Based on Multi-Source Big Data

Active school travel in China: Unveiling multifaceted influences for sustainable mobility

This study examines multifaceted factors influencing active school travel (AST) in China, utilizing the social ecological model as an analytical framework. Leveraging data from the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS) spanning 2014–2018 and encompassing 5,522 individuals aged 5 to 18, binary logistic regression models were employed. A stark decline in AST prevalence among students was observed over this period. Factors influencing AST behavior were identified: a dense road network, lower distance from school, and moderate temperatures promoted AST, while higher family income, access to private vehicles, and smaller households deterred participation. Maternal education and belonging to the “Gen Y” demographic also impacted AST engagement, along with paternal education level. Notably, AST was more prevalent among boys, rural students, and older students. Subgroup analyses highlighted differing influencing factors between adolescents and children. This study provides a holistic understanding of AST behavior, vital for effective intervention strategies promoting sustainable mobility.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURALLY SAFE ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL OPTIONS TO ENABLE TAMARIKI MĀORI TO FLOURISH A narrative review and model

To better understand the low and declining trends in active transport, there is a clarion call for town planners to develop sensitivity and sensibility towards the cultural backgrounds, realities and priorities of Māori. This will be important in producing more sustainable, healthy and equitable neighbourhoods. This paper outlines the results of a narrative literature review and consultation on tamariki Māori and travelling to kura. Tamariki Māori face barriers to active transport similar to those of other children, including a lack of access to suitable urban infrastructure, but these are exacerbated for tamariki Māori by historical issues. Factors influencing the feasibility of active transport options for tamariki Māori include school choice, concerns about neighbourhood safety and lack of access to places of importance to whānau Māori. Ultimately, the review reinforces the importance of creating culturally safe active transport options that enable tamariki Māori to flourish.

My Way to School Through a Camera Lens: Involving Children to Inform a Policy Recommendation on Active School Travel

My Way to School Through a Camera Lens: Involving Children to Inform a Policy Recommendation on Active School Travel

Promoting adolescent girls' active school travel in Ghana: Contextualizing health belief model and theory of planned behavior

In recent years, efforts to promote safer active school travel (AST), i.e., walking and cycling behaviors in girls, have heightened in light of huge gender disparities in micromobility adoption. In developing countries where transport infrastructure is not advanced, and AST adoption is influenced by societal perceptions, theorizing empirical studies will help better explore and understand the travel needs of girls for effective planning. This study investigated the factors influencing AST behaviors of 232 adolescent girls in primary, junior, and senior high schools based in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana. A novel combination of the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior was employed to formulate a conceptual model that was evaluated using SEM-MIMIC modeling. Results revealed that age plays a significant role in AST preferences, with younger girls favoring walking and older girls showing interest in cycling. Interventions can capitalize on this to promote cycling habits during the transition to senior high school. Moreover, environmental attitudes have the most decisive influence on the perceived social benefits of AST, while perceived parental support positively impacts safety self-efficacy. Together with perceived parental support, safety self-efficacy, and distance/accessibility barriers, they significantly influence girls' intentions to use active transportation. Authorities can adopt proposed targeted interventions such as the walking school bus and bicycle train concepts to make AST more attractive to girls.

Adolescent active travel and physical activity: Role of social media, norms and the environment

IntroductionAn active lifestyle, including regular participation in physical activity and use of active travel, are associated with adolescent health and well-being; however, global levels of adolescent physical activity are low. This study was designed to further understand factors contributing to adolescent active travel behaviors, including policy, environment, community, social media platforms and social norms. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey at secondary schools across Israel during advanced stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 2911; [ages 13–17]). Linear regression analyses investigate important factors associated with these behaviors. Discriminant analysis was used to determine which of the investigated variables made the greatest contribution to youth physical activity and active travel. ResultsAdolescent physical activity and active travel are associated with correlates at the community, interpersonal and personal levels of influence in line with the ecological model. Participation, messaging and message-sharing on social media platforms related to physical activity were associated with active behaviors. There is evidence regarding the cumulative effects of different active travel behaviors and physical activity. Adolescent active school travel is associated with active leisure travel, while engaging in active school travel and active leisure travel are associated with physical activity. ConclusionsThe findings regarding contribution of the environment, community, social norms and social media platforms to both physical activity and active travel behaviors support design of multilevel health promotion interventions for youth. Programs incorporating social media platforms and peer-to-peer communication in support of active travel may offer new opportunities to promote active and healthy adolescent behaviors.

Framing active school travel in Ontario, or how spinach is good for you

Active school travel (AST) is promoted in many jurisdictions, including Ontario, Canada, where there is provincial support for school travel planning (STP) efforts. Two pillars of school travel plans in the province are education and encouragement. For these pillars to stand, relevant stakeholders must be cognizant of and understand the issues and stakes. For this reason, we deem it important to understand how AST is communicated. In this research we adopt framing analysis to investigate the ways in which various organizations communicate to the public around AST. A frame is a central organizing idea or story line that provides meaning to a particular phenomenon, and thus helps to set the parameters for conversations about policy. In the case of AST, framing can influence what policy alternatives are perceived as available by children, parents, and their wider communities. The research is supported by natural language processing techniques applied to publicly available documents from Ontario stakeholders involved in school travel planning. We then compare the findings from these documents to a selection of academic studies on AST. We conclude that framing of AST in Ontario is mostly empirical-scientific in style, and largely in agreement with academic research on AST. However, it is essentially conservative and does not challenge the status quo of motorized travel. Furthermore, the frames tend to download responsibility for change to households, which limits the scope of policy alternatives by keeping collective action out of the frame.

Exploring students' choice of active travel to school in different spatial environments: A case study in a mountain city

In order to understand the spatial variations of students' active school travel (AST) across different regions in mountain cities, this paper examines the spatial variations in the influence of socio-economic, topographic, and built environment characteristics on the active mode choice of students in Guiyang, a typical mountainous city in China. Using the data collected from 2021 Guiyang household travel survey, the travel characteristics of 2585 primary and secondary school students distributed in different regions within the city are analyzed. In addition, a semiparametric geographically weighted logistic regression model is employed to examine whether the determinants of students' AST vary across the studied areas. The results show that noticeable spatial variations exist in the relationship between the choice of AST and the selected explanatory variables, with different student groups exhibit sensitivity to these variables in different geographic areas. For example, among students aged 6–12 living in suburban areas, there is a higher likelihood of choosing AST as the school travel distance increases. However, students with long-distance travel in suburban areas are less inclined to choose AST as the terrain slope increases. Conversely, students aged 13–18 in urban areas are more prone to choose AST as the slope increases. To promote equitable access to AST among urban and rural students, several policy recommendations are proposed after considering their socio-economic attributes and travel environment. These recommendations primarily focus on improving school bus services, creating an active travel-friendly environment, enhancing public transit accessibility, and implementing staggered shifts for parents and students.

Evaluation of a multicomponent infrastructural and app-based intervention to increase children's active school travel: A multiple methods study in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Power Up Schools (Power Up) was a temporary intervention involving a range of activities aimed at increasing children's active school travel (AST) with a focus on physical and social aspects of schools and their surrounding environs. We evaluated the impact of Power Up on children's AST and how multiple stakeholders (children, school representatives, parents, residents) perceived the overall intervention and its components. This was a multiple methods evaluation study with four primary (elementary) schools in Auckland and their wider communities. The study involved longitudinal data collection (daily travel modes reported by children), repeat cross-sectional surveys with parents, single time-point cross-sectional surveys with residents, post intervention focus groups with children and parents, and post intervention interviews with school representatives. Findings showed evidence for increased AST; general support for Power Up by children, parents, and school representatives; mixed support by residents for some components; the importance of considering diverse needs and preferences in future interventions; the need for more comprehensive communication across stakeholders; and the value of streamlining processes for schools and parents. Comprehensive approaches that are embedded within, and accepted by, the wider school community are recommended for sustainable and effective AST interventions.

Socio-environmental factors associated with active school travel in children at ages 6 and 8 years

Active school travel (AST) confers considerable health and environmental benefits. While evidence on AST associates for older children, and in relation to the physical built environment, has grown significantly over time, less is known regarding AST associates in younger children and socio-environmental associates of AST in this age group. In this research, we seek to determine the relationships between a range of factors across the ecological spectrum and children’s AST at 6 years and at 8 years of age, controlling for maternal education and number of times moved since 4 years. Structural equation modelling was used to identify factors associated with AST at 6 years. Due to the poor overall fit for the 8 year SEM model, a path model was instead performed to explore the direct relationships between AST and other observed variables. At both 6 and 8 years, importance of living close to schools had a significant and positive relationship with AST (standardised estimates = 0.31 and 0.19 respectively, both p < 0.001), and a significant negative relationship with AST was found for perceived distance to schools (estimates = -0.46 and −0.47 respectively, both p < 0.001). At 8 years, negative associations with AST were detected for parent/caregiver involvement with school (-0.071, p = 0.099) and children being of Pacific ethnicity (-0.100, p = 0.030). Distance remains the overriding factor associated with AST in young children – efforts to ensure children have easy access to, and are supported to attend, schools in close proximity to home are warranted.

Children's experiences of care on walking and cycling journeys between home and school in Healthy New Towns: Reframing active school travel

The Healthy New Town programme in England set out to ‘put health into place’ by supporting the design and construction of healthy places to live, including by creating safe environments for active travel. To explore the impact of this approach, this study examined how children and their families experienced school journeys in two contrasting Healthy New Towns in England, one an affluent new town in the early stages of construction and the other more economically deprived and established. We undertook photo-elicitation and go-along interviews with 24 children aged 7-12 years and semi-structured interviews with 17 caregivers. We found that experiences of care were important for children's school travel. In the ‘deprived’ town, opportunities for children to care and to be cared for were enjoyed, facilitated by routes with limited traffic, pockets of ‘nature’, and possibilities to encounter meaningful others. For families living in a town under construction, the need to negotiate unfinished travel infrastructure, and a sense of being ‘in limbo’, was experienced as an absence of care by planners and developers. Interventions to promote children's active travel should consider the role of care-full planning in facilitating walking and cycling journeys.

Factors that are perceived as supporting or hindering active school travel (AST): go-along interviews with primary school children and their parents

ABSTRACT Children’s school journeys can provide a daily source of physical activity, social interaction, and independence. Many studies focus on quantitative analyses of factors influencing active school travel (AST) from an adult-centric perspective. This study analyses children’s and adults’ perspectives on school travel behaviour and route perceptions using qualitative walking interviews. We conducted 14 go-along interviews with primary school children and their parents along different routes to school in Leipzig, Germany. We transcribed the interviews, analysed the factors perceived to support or hinder AST and mapped the route perceptions. The results of our study provide detailed insights into individual, family and route environment-related factors of AST. Perceived traffic safety along the routes was most relevant for all parents we interviewed. The other factors differed according to the mode of transport and accompaniment. Children who regularly walk to school report on numerous positively perceived places, e.g. associated with social interaction, play, and hiding activities. Our findings suggest that enabling children to gain positive experiences along their routes might be a chance to increase active and independent school travel.

The influence of the built environment on active school travel in the Netherlands: A mode choice analysis

Studies indicate that the amount of active travel among children is decreasing worldwide. The circumstances around travel modes and routes of children and young adolescents are less known if compared to adults’ walking or cycling. There is a growing interest in mobility patterns of children to school, especially. Active School Travel (AST) is decreasing in developed nations. This study explored which structural elements in the built environment of home and school locations influence AST of Dutch students. We used multinomial logistic regressions to study the effects of built environments on walking and cycling by students in the Netherlands. Findings about the design of environments around homes and schools suggest that variations in personal characteristics, temperature, destination proximity, traffic safety conditions, and urban form can influence AST. Safety conditions seem to play a spurious role in the relationship between built environments and AST, reflecting counterintuitive results if compared to adult travel research. Findings were mixed regarding directionality and significance levels between transport modes and variables, which highlights the importance of considering target groups, modes and locations of students and schools when planning for effective interventions. The findings can be valuable for both academia and policymakers, supporting strategies that could be adopted by municipalities and encouraged by parents or schools.

Child and adolescent patterns of commuting to school

The World Health Organization stipulate children and adolescents should accumulate 60 min of physical activity (PA) daily; globally only 25% achieve this. Active travel to school (ATS) is a method of integrating PA into daily life with a documented health benefit accruing. Understanding factors associated with ATS is essential to inform a systems approach to increase ATS participation. This study described patterns of commuting to school and examined factors associated with ATS.Children’s Sport Participation & Physical Activity Study 2018 data was used, an all-Ireland cross-sectional study of 6,650 students. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors independently associated with ATS.Most common commute to school methods were private car for primary (57%) and public transport for secondary (39%) students. The recommended 60 min of daily PA a week prior to the survey was achieved by 19.5% for primary and 12.6% for secondary students. Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationality (OR 1.09 95 %CI 1.02–1.16), meeting PA guidelines (OR 1.26 95 %CI 1.08–1.46), attending a ROI school (OR 2.27 95 %CI 2.02–2.57), attending a non-Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) school (OR 2.47 95 %CI 1.87–3.24), attending an urban school (OR 3.96 95 %CI 3.41–4.59) were each independently statistically significantly associated with ATS. Living in a family with a car (OR 0.27 95 %CI 0.19–0.39), attending secondary school (OR 0.69 95 %CI 0.62–0.78), attending a small sized (<33rd percentile) school (OR 0.68 95 %CI 0.60–0.77), living >5 km from school (OR 0.22 95 %CI 0.2–0.24) were each significantly negatively associated with ATS.ATS is a means of increasing youth PA and health. Factors associated with ATS can inform further research and intervention to increase ATS participation.

Community Animators and Participatory Planning

Problem, research strategy, and findings Identifying and implementing equitable participatory planning processes is challenging for city planners. Through a qualitative analysis of the Families and Educators for Safe Cycling Project (FESC), an active school travel (AST) project in Toronto (Canada), we identify a potential new path to increase the range of voices heard by planners and decision makers. Specifically, we present community animation and animators as an effective approach for community engagement in AST planning through analyzing 27 semistructured interviews, reviewing key project documents, and coding key themes. We showcase how community animation can play a key role in the meaningful engagement of school communities by deepening and enriching the participatory planning process. We conclude by suggesting that community animators can foster more equitable participatory planning processes by working to include historically marginalized communities within urban planning. Takeaway for practice Specific groups of people, such as school communities, continue to be excluded from participatory planning processes. By providing insights into the value of community animators, this research allows planners to understand, conceptualize, and apply more equitable participatory planning processes during infrastructure development. Though the case is based on a specific program related to AST in Toronto, the results can assist planners in other communities in enriching their local engagement processes.

Validating the Perceived Active School Travel Enablers and Barriers – Child (PASTEB-C) questionnaire

ObjectivesPresently, child-specific tools and instruments related to active school travel (AST) are lacking. This methodological shortcoming often contributes to suboptimal AST behaviour evaluations and intervention programming. The aim of this paper was to develop and validate a theoretically informed child-specific scale regarding multiple perceived barriers and enablers known to impact children's participation in AST. Study designMixed methods. MethodsA mixed-methods and multistudy scale development approach featuring the application of social-ecological theory, a validation pilot study (n = 80), and test-retest study (n = 96) was conducted in collaboration with children in Ontario, Canada. In tandem with completing cognitive interviews and online surveys, multiple analyses, including a qualitative thematic analysis, along with weighted Cohen's kappa, Cronbach's alpha, and confirmatory factor analysis were undertaken. ResultsQualitative analyses of the developed tool addressed face validity concerns related to the response options and definitions of terms used. Following the reliability analyses of 40 items, two confirmatory factor analyses were run to assess the construct validation of perceived AST barriers and enablers, and resulted in the development of the 24-item Perceived Active School Travel Enablers and Barriers – Child (PASTEB-C) questionnaire. ConclusionThe developed PASTEB-C questionnaire may be used to inform the programming and development of AST interventions, as well as conduct child-specific AST research.

Gender-specific social and environmental correlates of active travel to school in four European countries: the HBSC Study.

Despite the health benefits, a large proportion of girls and boys in Europe do not travel to school actively. A better understanding of the correlates associated with this behavior could guide interventions. This study examines perceived social and environmental correlates of active travel to school (ACTS) from the 2017/18 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey in four European countries, with a special emphasis on gender differences (n = 22,023). Logistic regression was conducted to analyze associations between the perceived importance of each correlate and ACTS behavior for 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old girls and boys from Germany, Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia. All models were adjusted for age, family affluence, and meeting World Health Organization recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Rates of ACTS significantly differed between girls and boys. In Czechia, 65% of girls and boys traveled to school actively, followed by Slovakia (61.4% girls and 58.4% boys), Poland (57.7% girls and 60.2% boys), and Germany (42.6% girls and 48.6% boys). Girls were less likely to actively travel to school compared to boys (odds ratio [OR]: 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87-0.97). Increasing age (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93-0.97) and a greater distance to school index (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.88-0.90) were both negatively associated with ACTS. The perceived importance of living closer to school and of road and neighborhood safety was positively associated with ACTS, with a stronger association in boys than in girls for neighborhood safety. On the contrary, the perceived importance of having people to walk with was negatively associated with ACTS, with a stronger association in girls (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65-0.84) than in boys (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66-0.88). This study provides insights into perceived social and environmental correlates associated with ACTS behavior. Future research should include gender-specific perceptions and more in-depth investigations of correlates encouraging ACTS, especially considering social aspects, safety issues, and the structuring of the environment in different cultural settings.