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Factors associated with children being driven to school: implications for walk to school programs
Li Ming Wen1, Denise Fry, Chris Rissel
1Health Promotion Unit, Sydney South West Area Health Service, Level 9, King George V Building, Missenden Road, Camperdown, New South Wales 2050, Australia. lmwen@email.cs.nsw.gov.au
Health Education Research
|September 22, 2007
Summary
Many children are driven to school, even those living close by. Parent travel habits and household car ownership significantly influence this, highlighting a need for programs addressing the parent-child travel connection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Urban Planning
- Transportation Studies
Background:
- Childhood travel behaviors are influenced by various factors.
- Understanding determinants of school travel modes is crucial for promoting active transport.
- Parental travel habits and attitudes play a significant role in children's commuting choices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors associated with children being driven to school.
- To analyze the relationship between parental travel patterns and student school travel modes.
- To identify key determinants influencing car use for school commutes among primary school students.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 1603 primary school students (aged 9-11 years) and their parents in Sydney, Australia.
- Data collection via student surveys on travel modes and parent surveys on demographics, travel attitudes, and work commute.
- Analysis of linked datasets to identify factors associated with car travel to school.
Main Results:
- 41% of students were driven to school for over 5 trips weekly; 32% walked all the way.
- Car travel was associated with parents' work commute mode, parent attitudes, household car numbers, and proximity to school.
- A significant proportion of students driven to school lived within 1.5 km of their school.
Conclusions:
- Parental journey-to-work patterns are strongly linked to children's school travel modes.
- Effective 'walk to school' initiatives must consider parental travel behaviors.
- Interventions should address the broader family travel context to encourage active commuting.
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