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Title: Predictors of children's active commuting to school: An observational evaluation in 5 U.S. communities

Author
item MENDOZA, JASON - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item COWAN, DAVID - Trips For Kids Denver/boulder
item LIU, YAN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Journal of Physical Activity and Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/2013
Publication Date: 5/1/2014
Citation: Mendoza, J.A., Cowan, D., Liu, Y. 2014. Predictors of children's active commuting to school: An observational evaluation in 5 U.S. communities. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 11(4):729-733.

Interpretive Summary: Increasing children's walking and bicycling to school is a national health priority to get children more physically active. Few studies have examined factors that promote children's walking or bicycling to school in the long term, i.e. over the course of a school year. We conducted our study among 367 students from five schools representing five different diverse communities in the US in order to study influences to walking and bicycling to school over a school year. Male children, adult-led walk to school group participation, parents' outcome expectations, and higher temperature were associated with more walking and bicycling to school. Greater distance to school and Latino ethnicity were associated with less walking and bicycling to school. Programs and policies that encourage adult-led walk to school groups, are sensitive to parents concerns, and target enrollment of Latinos and girls appear promising for increasing walking and bicycling to school in the US.

Technical Abstract: Few reports examined long term predictors of children's active commuting to school (walking or cycling to school, ACS). The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of ACS over 1 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). 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]), and Latino ethnicity (OR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.12-0.65]) were associated with ACS. 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.