Parent and Child Perceptions of Barriers to Active School Commuting

Active commuting (AC) to and from school can contribute to physical activity, although it has recently seen a global decline. The purpose of this study was to examine the agreement between parent and child perceptions of barriers to school AC.

Participants were parents (N = 152, M_age  = 40.6 ± 6.3 years) and elementary school children (N = 98, M_age  = 10.0 ± 1.2 years). School commute type/frequency and barriers to AC were collected via surveys. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess relative agreement between parent and child perceptions (N = 98 dyads). Paired t tests and equivalence testing were employed to assess group-level agreement. Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess individual-level agreement. Partial correlations of AC with perceptions were also assessed.

All parent and child perceptions of barriers to AC to school had low agreement. Bland-Altman Plots indicated negative bias for all but 3 barrier perceptions. Paired t tests indicated significant differences between parent and child perceptions for 8 out of 15 barriers while equivalence testing deemed no parent-child perception equivalent. Partial correlations with AC frequency were significant for 7 parent perceptions and 2 child perceptions.

Parent and child perceptions have low agreement. Programs aimed at promoting AC to and from school should account for these discrepancies.