TY - JOUR
T1 - Independent mobility on the journey to school
T2 - A joint cross-sectional and prospective exploration of social and physical environmental influences
AU - Carver, Alison
AU - Panter, Jenna R.
AU - Jones, Andrew P.
AU - van Sluijs, Esther M.F.
N1 - Funding Information:
The SPEEDY study is funded by the National Prevention Research Initiative ( http://www.npri.org.uk ), consisting of the following funding partners: British Heart Foundation; Cancer Research UK; Department of Health; Diabetes UK; Economic and Social Research Council; Medical Research Council; Health and Social Care Research and Development Office for the Northern Ireland; Chief Scientist Office; Scottish Government Health Directorates; Welsh Assembly Government and World Cancer Research Fund . We gratefully acknowledge all the school and families who participated in this study. JP is supported by a project grant from the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research program (Project number 09/3001/06 : see http://www.phr.nihr.ac.uk/funded_projects ). EvS is supported by the Medical Research Council [Unit programme number MC_UP_1001/2 ]. The work was undertaken in part by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration , is gratefully acknowledged.
PY - 2014/3
Y1 - 2014/3
N2 - Background: Despite related physical/mental health benefits, children's independent mobility for school travel (i.e. walking/cycling without adult accompaniment) has declined in recent decades. Purpose: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between social/physical environmental variables and independent mobility on the school journey. Methods: Participants were 1121 9-10 year-olds residing within 1600. m of their school in urban/rural areas of Norfolk, UK in 2007 (T1). At one year (T2) 491 children were followed-up. At T1, parents survey-reported perceptions of the social/physical environment and rules regarding their child's physical activity. Characteristics of the neighborhood, route to school and school environment were measured using a Geographical Information System and school audits. At both time-points children survey-reported their usual travel mode and whether accompanied. Regression analyses were conducted in 2013. Results: Around half walked/cycled to school without adult accompaniment (T1, 43%; T2, 53%). Parents often allowing their child to play outside anywhere within the neighborhood (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.14 (95% CI 1.24-7.96)) and household car access (AOR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08-0.94)) were associated longitudinally with boys walking/cycling independently to school. Land use mix (AOR 1.38 (95% CI 1.06-1.79)), proportion of main roads in the neighborhood (AOR 0.67 (95% CI 0.47-0.94)) and parental encouragement for walking/cycling (AOR 0.40 (95% CI 0.20-0.80)) were associated longitudinally with girls walking/cycling independently to school. Conclusions: Interventions should develop parents' skills to teach their children to be independently mobile and to build confidence regarding venturing out without parental accompaniment. Urban planners should consider designing neighborhoods in which residences, business/retail outlets and sports facilities are co-located to promote active transport.
AB - Background: Despite related physical/mental health benefits, children's independent mobility for school travel (i.e. walking/cycling without adult accompaniment) has declined in recent decades. Purpose: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between social/physical environmental variables and independent mobility on the school journey. Methods: Participants were 1121 9-10 year-olds residing within 1600. m of their school in urban/rural areas of Norfolk, UK in 2007 (T1). At one year (T2) 491 children were followed-up. At T1, parents survey-reported perceptions of the social/physical environment and rules regarding their child's physical activity. Characteristics of the neighborhood, route to school and school environment were measured using a Geographical Information System and school audits. At both time-points children survey-reported their usual travel mode and whether accompanied. Regression analyses were conducted in 2013. Results: Around half walked/cycled to school without adult accompaniment (T1, 43%; T2, 53%). Parents often allowing their child to play outside anywhere within the neighborhood (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.14 (95% CI 1.24-7.96)) and household car access (AOR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08-0.94)) were associated longitudinally with boys walking/cycling independently to school. Land use mix (AOR 1.38 (95% CI 1.06-1.79)), proportion of main roads in the neighborhood (AOR 0.67 (95% CI 0.47-0.94)) and parental encouragement for walking/cycling (AOR 0.40 (95% CI 0.20-0.80)) were associated longitudinally with girls walking/cycling independently to school. Conclusions: Interventions should develop parents' skills to teach their children to be independently mobile and to build confidence regarding venturing out without parental accompaniment. Urban planners should consider designing neighborhoods in which residences, business/retail outlets and sports facilities are co-located to promote active transport.
KW - Active transport
KW - Built environment
KW - Child
KW - Independent mobility
KW - Neighborhood
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84899796839
U2 - 10.1016/j.jth.2013.12.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jth.2013.12.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84899796839
SN - 2214-1405
VL - 1
SP - 25
EP - 32
JO - Journal of Transport and Health
JF - Journal of Transport and Health
IS - 1
ER -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 15 Life on Land