Active Transportation Dynamics in School-Aged Children
Summary
Active transportation among school-aged children encompasses the patterns, determinants and outcomes of walking, cycling or other physically engaging modes to and from school. This domain has grown in prominence owing to concerns over declining physical activity levels, rising sedentary lifestyles and the associated public health implications. Key factors shaping active school travel include household proximity to educational institutions, built environment characteristics such as street connectivity and pedestrian infrastructure, parental perceptions of safety and convenience, and socio-cultural norms. Travel behaviours vary by trip direction, with differences in duration, speed and intensity of activity on the journey to school compared with the return trip. Interventions to promote active transport range from infrastructural improvements and traffic calming measures to multi-level programmes involving schools, parents and local authorities. The potential benefits extend beyond enhanced moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and energy expenditure to encompass broader social, environmental and developmental outcomes, including improved road safety awareness, reduced traffic congestion around schools and strengthened community cohesion.
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Active Transportation Dynamics in School-Aged Children publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in active transportation dynamics in school-aged children across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Active School Travel (AST): Walking or cycling between home and school as a routine source of daily physical activity.
Built Environment: The physical layout and infrastructure of urban or suburban areas, including street network design, land use mix and pedestrian facilities.
Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA): Activity that raises the heart rate substantially, such as brisk walking or cycling, often measured in minutes per day.
Physical Activity Energy Expenditure (PAEE): The total energy cost associated with bodily movement above resting metabolic rate, typically quantified in kilocalories.
Multimodal Travel: A journey combining more than one mode of transport, for example walking to a bus stop then taking a vehicle for the remainder of the trip.
References
- The influence of the built environment on active school travel in the Netherlands: A mode choice analysis. Multimodal Transportation (2023).
- Do physical activity and trip characteristics differ when commuting to and from school?: The PACO study. Travel Behaviour and Society (2023).
- Effectiveness of active school transport interventions: a systematic review and update. BMC Public Health (2018).
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