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Johnson AM, Zhou C, Haviland M, Mendoza JA. Evaluation of a walking school bus program: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2024; 21:55. [PMID: 38730407 PMCID: PMC11083767 DOI: 10.1186/s12966-024-01602-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a walking school bus intervention on children's active commuting to school. METHODS We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Houston, Texas (Year 1) and Seattle, Washington (Years 2-4) from 2012 to 2016. The study had a two-arm, cluster randomized design comparing the intervention (walking school bus and education materials) to the control (education materials) over one school year October/November - May/June). Twenty-two schools that served lower income families participated. Outcomes included percentage of days students' active commuting to school (primary, measured via survey) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA, measured via accelerometry). Follow-up took place in May or June. We used linear mixed-effects models to estimate the association between the intervention and outcomes of interest. RESULTS Total sample was 418 students [Mage=9.2 (SD = 0.9) years; 46% female], 197 (47%) in the intervention group. The intervention group showed a significant increase compared with the control group over time in percentage of days active commuting (β = 9.04; 95% CI: 1.10, 16.98; p = 0.015) and MVPA minutes/day (β = 4.31; 95% CI: 0.70, 7.91; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS These findings support implementation of walking school bus programs that are inclusive of school-age children from lower income families to support active commuting to school and improve physical activity. TRAIL REGISTRATION This RCT is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01626807).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh M Johnson
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
| | - Chuan Zhou
- Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
| | | | - Jason A Mendoza
- Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
- Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
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Ganzar LA, Burford K, Salvo D, Spoon C, Sallis JF, Hoelscher DM. Development, scoring, and reliability for the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes for Safe Routes to School (MAPS-SRTS) instrument. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:722. [PMID: 38448838 PMCID: PMC10916041 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18202-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Active commuting to school can be a meaningful contributor to overall physical activity in children. To inform better micro-level urban design near schools that can support active commuting to school, there is a need for measures that capture these elements. This paper describes the adaptation of an observational instrument for use in assessing micro-scale environments around urban elementary schools in the United States. METHODS The Micro-scale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes for Safe Routes to School (MAPS-SRTS) was developed from existing audit instruments not designed for school travel environments and modifications for the MAPS-SRTS instrument include the structure of the audit tool sections, the content, the observation route, and addition of new subscales. Subscales were analyzed for inter-rater reliability in a sample of 36 schools in Austin, TX. To assess reliability for each subscale, one-way random effects single-measure intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used. RESULTS Compared to the 30 original subscales, the adapted MAPS-SRTS included 26 (86.6%) subscales with revised scoring algorithms. Most MAPS-SRTS subscales had acceptable inter-rater reliability, with an ICC of 0.97 for the revised audit tool. CONCLUSIONS The MAPS-SRTS audit tool is a reliable instrument for measuring the school travel environment for research and evaluation purposes, such as assessing human-scale determinants of active commuting to school behavior and documenting built environment changes from infrastructure interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh Ann Ganzar
- Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX, 78701, USA.
| | - Katie Burford
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10031, US
| | - Deborah Salvo
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, College of Education, The University of Texas in Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Chad Spoon
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - James F Sallis
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Deanna M Hoelscher
- Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX, 78701, USA
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Javadpoor M, Soltani A, Fatehnia L, Soltani N. How the Built Environment Moderates Gender Gap in Active Commuting to Schools. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1131. [PMID: 36673888 PMCID: PMC9858652 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the influences of built environmental (BE) factors, network design, and sociodemographic factors on active school travel (AST). Although numerous studies have explored these relationships, this study is trying to assess this issue with a focus on gender differences. Data from a cross-sectional sample of children from first to sixth grades from 16 public primary schools exclusive for girls and boys (N = 1260) in Shiraz collected in November 2019 was used. The analysis of the data revealed that, on average, boys are more willing to walk than girls, but that the boys' tendency to walk is less elastic with respect to distance. Moreover, it is shown that street connectivity for all distance thresholds has a positive relationship with walking level, but the street network choice parameter decreases the chance of walking within an 800 metre threshold. It is demonstrated the need to take gender differences into account in local planning policies to promote AST in a developing country context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Javadpoor
- School of Art and Architecture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71946-84471, Iran
| | - Ali Soltani
- School of Art and Architecture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71946-84471, Iran
- UniSA Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
| | - Leila Fatehnia
- School of Art and Architecture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71946-84471, Iran
| | - Negin Soltani
- School of Civil Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71557-13876, Iran
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Cerro-Herrero D, Prieto-Prieto J, Vaquero-Solis M, Tapia-Serrano MÁ, Sánchez-Miguel PA. Analysis of Variables That Influence the Walkability of School Environments Based on the Delphi Method. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14201. [PMID: 36361080 PMCID: PMC9655482 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Walkability is determined the presence or absence of factors such as quality sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, traffic, etc. The ability to walk to the school environment may be one of the variables that promotes active commuting levels. The aim of this study was to examine the walkability of school environments using the Delphi method. This study used the Delphi method to measure the walkability. A total of 18 experts were selected. First, a list of variables was designed by the control group and sent three times to the experts. Later, the items were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to test the consensus of the experts. The list of variables that influence walkability showed a good consensus among the experts at the end of the process. This list was formed by 48 items and organized in six factors: traffic and safety (eleven items), signage (eight items), sidewalk (ten items), transport consistency (five items), activity (five items), and finally, urban planning (nine items). The experts agreed on the need to analyze the environments of educational centers and measure the variables that affect walkability. This study has identified the most important barriers. In the future, a measurement instrument should be developed that allows centers to be compared with others in terms of their levels of walkability. Moreover, it might be a resource for more policies to be developed with the aim to promote active commuting to school.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Cerro-Herrero
- Department of Didactic of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression, Faculty of Teacher Training, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
| | - Josué Prieto-Prieto
- Department of Didactic of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression, School of Education and Tourism, University of Salamanca, 05003 Ávila, Spain
| | - Mikel Vaquero-Solis
- Department of Didactic of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Tapia-Serrano
- Department of Didactic of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
| | - Pedro Antonio Sánchez-Miguel
- Department of Didactic of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression, Faculty of Teacher Training, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
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George SM, Sliwa SA, Cornett KA, Do V, Bremer AA, Berrigan D. Improving active travel to school and its surveillance: an overlooked opportunity in health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Transl Behav Med 2022; 12:810-815. [PMID: 35665832 DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibac023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing active travel to school (ATS) could reduce the deficit in youth physical activity participation; however, surveillance of ATS is limited. Given that ATS contributes to our understanding of children's physical activity patterns nationwide, is influenced by local contexts and state laws, and occurs within communities, surveillance could be informative at the national, state, and local levels. Following a National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research workshop, this commentary offers insights into strengthening surveillance and data collection of ATS behavior as well as ATS environmental, policy, and program supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M George
- Division of Extramural Research, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sarah A Sliwa
- School Health Branch, Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
| | - Kelly A Cornett
- School Health Branch, Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
| | - Van Do
- FHI 360, Washington, DC 20009, USA
| | - Andrew A Bremer
- Division of Extramural Research, Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David Berrigan
- Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Spatial Pattern of the Walkability Index, Walk Score and Walk Score Modification for Elderly. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/ijgi11050279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary cities require excellent walking conditions to support human physical activity, increase humans’ well-being, reduce traffic, and create a healthy urban environment. Various indicators and metrics exist to evaluate walking conditions. To evaluate the spatial pattern of objective-based indicators, two popular indices were selected—the Walkability Index (WAI), representing environmental-based indicators, and Walk Score (WS), which applies an accessibility-based approach. Both indicators were evaluated using adequate spatial units (circle buffers with radii from 400 m to 2414 m) in two Czech cities. A new software tool was developed for the calculation of WS using OSM data and freely available network services. The new variant of WS was specifically designed for the elderly. Differing gait speeds, and variable settings of targets and their weights enabled the adaptation of WS to local conditions and personal needs. WAI and WS demonstrated different spatial pattern where WAI is better used for smaller radii (up to approx. 800 m) and WS for larger radii (starting from 800 m). The assessment of WS for both cities indicates that approx. 40% of inhabitants live in unsatisfactory walking conditions. A sensitivity analysis discovered the major influences of gait speed and the β coefficient on the walkability assessment.
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A GIS-Based Methodology for Evaluating the Increase in Multimodal Transport between Bicycle and Rail Transport Systems. A Case Study in Palermo. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/ijgi10050321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: In a world where every municipality is pursuing the goals of more sustainable mobility, bicycles play a fundamental role in getting rid of private cars and travelling by an eco-friendly mode of transport. Additionally, private and shared bikes can be used as a feeder transit system, solving the problem of the first- and last-mile trips. Thanks to GIS (Geographic Information System) software, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of such a sustainable means of transport in future users’ modal choice. Methods: Running an accessibility analysis of cycling and rail transport services, the potential mobility demand attracted by these services and the possible multimodality between bicycle and rail transport systems can be assessed. Moreover, thanks to a modal choice model calibrated for high school students, it could be verified if students will be really motivated to adopt this solution for their home-to-school trips. Results: The GIS-based analysis showed that almost half of the active population in the study area might potentially abandon the use of their private car in favour of a bike and its combination with public transport systems; furthermore, the percentage of the students of one high school of Palermo, the Einstein High School, sharply increases from 1.5% up to 10.1%, thanks also to the combination with the rail transport service. Conclusions: The GIS-based methodology shows that multimodal transport can be an effective way to pursue a more sustainable mobility in cities and efficiently connect suburbs with low-frequent public transport services to the main public transport nodes.
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Active school transportation and the built environment across Canadian cities: Findings from the child active transportation safety and the environment (CHASE) study. Prev Med 2021; 146:106470. [PMID: 33639180 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Walking and bicycling to school (active school transportation, AST) has been in decline for decades in North America and globally with the rise of automobility. This cross-sectional study estimated associations between the built environment and AST in seven Canadian communities. We observed the travel behaviours of almost 118,000 students at 552 schools. Using beta regression, we modeled the proportion of children using AST, considering built environment and social environment factors around schools. Across all schools, the average proportion of children using AST was 54.3% (SD 18.9%), with variability among cities from a low of 39.5% (SD 22.1%) in Laval, Quebec to 69.7% (SD 18.1%) in Montreal, Quebec. Overall, several modifiable road design features were associated with AST, including the presence of school crossing guards, cycling infrastructure, Walk Score® and traffic signal density. There was variability in the directionality and statistical significance of associations with design variables across cities, suggesting that the local context and directed local interventions are important to support AST. Natural experiment studies are necessary to examine local approaches related to the built environment to increase AST and ensure appropriate new policy and program interventions are developed.
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