Too far to walk or bike?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Child Development

Background:

• Low rates of active transportation (AT) among Canadian children and youth, with only 25-35% regularly walking or cycling to school.
• School-home distance identified as the primary barrier to children's regular AT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose strategies, grounded in social ecological theory, to overcome the distance barrier and increase AT among children and youth.
• To explore individual, community, and policy-level interventions to promote active school travel.

Main Methods:

• Application of social ecological theory to identify multi-level intervention points.
• Description of practical strategies for individuals, parents, schools, and policymakers.
• Emphasis on redefining "walkable" distances and leveraging existing community infrastructure.

Main Results:

• Individual-level strategies involve utilizing AT for non-school trips and partial school commutes.
• Community-level strategies include school-institution parking partnerships and improved sidewalk networks.
• Policy-level strategies focus on school siting decisions and social marketing campaigns.

Conclusions:

• Multi-faceted strategies addressing individual behaviors, community infrastructure, and policy are needed to increase active transportation.
• Reimagining "walkable" distances and promoting AT for various destinations can enhance children's physical activity.
• Interventions should target parents, schools, and urban planners to foster environments supportive of active school travel.