303787
Neighborhood correlates of active transportation to school among U.S. school-aged children: Results from ISCOLE-US
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 651 children aged 9-11 years from 21 schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Active transportation was assessed by self-report using a participant questionnaire while neighborhood and sociodemographic factors were assessed using parent questionnaires. A participant was considered to have engaged in active transportation if the main part of their trip to school was by walking, bicycle, roller-blades, skateboard, or scooter. Multilevel generalized mixed models (students nested within schools) were used to measure the relationship between active transportation and neighborhood factors.
RESULTS: After adjustment for household socioeconomic factors and school socioeconomic status, parental perception of neighborhood crime rate was inversely (p<0.05) and neighborhood connectivity positively (p<0.05) associated with active transportation to school while speed limit and neighborhood social capital were not. However, only perceived crime rate remained significantly associated (p<0.05) with active transportation after adjustment for neighborhood connectivity.
CONCLUSION: Higher perceptions of crime were associated with lower prevalence of active transportation in this sample of children, independent of socioeconomic status and neighborhood connectivity. These findings suggest that future efforts to increase active transportation to school should prioritize increasing neighborhood safety.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyPublic health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the importance of active transportation to school among children.
Identify neighborhood characteristics associated with active transportation to school.
Demonstrate priorities for future programs and policies that aim to increase active transportation to school.
Keyword(s): Physical Activity, Children and Adolescents
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a research associate of multiple projects focusing on the epidemiology of physical activity and obesity, including as a member of the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) Coordinating Center and the Coordinator of the United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. My research interests also include investigating environmental determinants of physical activity and related behaviors among children and adolescents.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.