Children and Parental Barriers to Active Commuting to School: A Comparison Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Environmental Psychology
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Active commuting to school (ACS) is crucial for child health.
• Understanding barriers from both children's and parents' perspectives is essential for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare ACS barriers between children/adolescents and their parents.
• Analyze the association between ACS and perceived barriers in both groups.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study with 401 child-parent pairs.
• Self-reported data on commuting modes and ACS barriers.
• Statistical analyses included t-tests, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regressions.

Main Results:

• Children/adolescents reported higher physical, motivational, and social support barriers than parents.
• Parents reported higher distance, traffic safety, convenience, built environment, crime safety, and weather barriers.
• Increased perception of barriers correlated with decreased ACS.

Conclusions:

• Interventions should target specific barriers identified by children and parents.
• Addressing perceived barriers in both children and parents is necessary to promote ACS.
• Involving both age groups in interventions can enhance the effectiveness of promoting active school travel.