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Educating the Student Body
that parents rated their child’s age as the most important factor in their
decision to allow the child to walk to school. Other studies confirm that
many 5- to 6-year-olds lack the skills to cope with traffic issues (Whitebread
and Neilson, 2000), although other studies have found that neighborhood
safety is unrelated to commuting practices in children (Humpel et al., 2004;
Wilson et al., 2004). The “walking school bus” (i.e., when an adult escorts
a group of children to school) has been shown to be an effective means of
safely transporting children to and from school (Collins and Kearns, 2005).
It may be noted that pedestrian and bicycling injury/death rates among
youth have declined by 51 percent and 60 percent, respectively. However,
the decrease in walking or biking among youth may have contributed to
this downward trend (CDC, 2008).
Finally, parents identify the perceived fitness level of their children as a
determinant of the children’s participation in active transport. Specifically,
parents who perceive their children as being unfit prefer passive transporta-
tion (Yeung, 2008).
“Walking School Bus” Programs
School-endorsed “walking school buses” may address several of the
barriers identified above—in particular, traffic and crime dangers (White
House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, 2010). “Walking school buses”
are popular means for walking young children to school securely in Europe
and Australia but are just starting to emerge in the United States. A “walk-
ing school buses” often entails one or two adult volunteers escorting a
group of children from pickup points or their homes to school along a
fixed route, starting with the pickup point or home that is farthest from
the school and stopping at other pickup points or homes along the way.
For increased security for the youngest children, a rope that surrounds the
group can be used. On the way back from school, the same system is used
in the opposite direction.
The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity’s (2010) Report to
the President identifies “walking school buses” as a low-cost initiative that
communities can undertake to increase physical activity among elementary
school children. The prevalence of “walking school buses” remains low in
the United States but is growing; in 2008-2009, about 4.2 percent of a rep-
resentative sample of public elementary schools organized “walking school
buses”, with an increase to 6.2 percent in 2009-2010 (Turner et al., 2012).
Examples of“walking school buse” programs are described in Box 6-2.
Parents’ engagement in school-based health promotion activities is
another significant benefit of “walking school buses”. In some communi-
ties, “walking school buses” have provided opportunities for parents and
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Approaches to Physical Activity in Schools
293
other volunteers to remain engaged in the life of the community while
increasing their own physical activity.
Differences in Opportunities for Active Transport
The literature demonstrates that active transport varies among socio-
economic and ethnic groups and with the type of area (suburban, urban, or
rural) (Davis and Jones, 1996; Dovey, 1999). Data from Bridging the Gap
(Turner et al., 2010) demonstrate that one in four middle school students
and one in eight high school students commute actively to and from school.
Students of low socioeconomic status and those who attend schools where
the majority of students are nonwhite (i.e., black and Latino) are more likely
to walk or bike to and from school than those of high socioeconomic status
and those who attend schools with a predominantly white student body.
Facilitators of Active Transport to School
Four common themes have been identified among schools with success-
ful active transport to school programs (Eyler et al., 2008):
•
collaboration among many organizations and individuals, including
school personnel, public safety officials, city officials, parents, and
school district representatives;
•
funding for personnel, program materials, and improvements to the
built environment;
•
concerns about both traffic and crime being addressed; and
•
efforts to make the built environment more conducive to active
transport by students.
The same study identified a number of important and specific factors and
policies to be considered (see Table 6-4).
A useful five-component framework for planning programs to enhance
active transport to school has been suggested (Fesperman et al., 2008). This
framework begins with the development of a plan and the enlistment of key
individuals and organizations for input and support. The planning phase
is crucial and may take a full year. The implementation of programmatic
activities (e.g., training in pedestrian and bicycle safety, walk-to-school
days), policy changes (e.g., school speed zones, modification of school start
and dismissal times), and physical changes (e.g., sidewalk improvement,
installment of traffic calming devices) follow in a sequence appropriate for
the specific school and plan. For all activities, promotional materials to
ensure understanding and continued support should be disseminated.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
294
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