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Neighborhood, route, and school environments and children's active commuting
Jenna R Panter1, Andrew P Jones, Esther M F Van Sluijs
1School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. j.panter@uea.ac.uk
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|February 23, 2010
Summary
Environmental factors like neighborhood road density and route directness influence children's active commuting to school. Improving urban design may encourage walking and cycling, but distance did not moderate these effects.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Environmental Science
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Active commuting to school offers children opportunities for regular physical activity.
- Environmental factors surrounding homes and schools may influence active commuting behaviors.
- Limited research has quantified the association between environmental characteristics and active commuting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess associations between objectively measured neighborhood, route, and school environments and children's active commuting.
- To explore if distance moderates the relationship between environmental factors and active commuting.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 2012 children (aged 9-10) across 92 schools in Norfolk, UK.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) used to assess home and route environments.
- School environments evaluated via audit and head teacher questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Nearly half of children walked or cycled to school.
- Living in deprived areas and direct routes were associated with less active commuting.
- Higher neighborhood road density correlated with increased walking; more streetlights on routes correlated with less cycling.
Conclusions:
- Objectively measured neighborhood and route characteristics are linked to active commuting.
- Distance did not moderate the observed environmental associations.
- Urban design improvements promoting safe environments could enhance children's active commuting; further intervention studies are recommended.
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