Attitudes, social support and environmental perceptions as predictors of active commuting behaviour in school children

Social support and environmental perceptions impact children's active commuting to school

Panter and colleagues investigated whether children’s active commuting to school is associated with attitudes, social support, and environmental perceptions and whether distance to school impacts these associations. As part of this study, over 2,000 9- to 10-year-old children from urban and rural schools in Norfolk, UK and their parents completed questionnaires about travel behavior, socio-demographic information, attitudes towards active commuting, social support, and neighborhood environments. In addition, researchers measured the distance from home to school for each child using a geographic information system. In analyzing the data, Panter and colleagues found that 40% of children usually walked to school, 9% cycled, and 51% used motorized travel. In addition, researchers found that children were more likely to walk to school if their journey to school was less than 1km and their mothers actively commuted to work. With regard to the relationship between attitudes, social support, and environmental perceptions and active commuting, Panter and colleagues discovered that parental attitudes and safety concerns, social support from parents and friends, and neighborhood walkability were related to higher rates of active commuting among children. In addition, researchers found that journey distance moderated the impact of attitudes on cycling behaviors, but that social support and environmental perceptions were important whether the journey to school was long or short. Based on their findings, as well as findings from other studies, Panter and colleagues recommend that interventions focused on increasing children’s active commuting focus on road safety as well as parental and peer support.

Citation

Panter, J. R., Jones, A. P, van Sluijs, E. M. F., Griffin, S. J., (2010). Attitudes, social support and environmental perceptions as predictors of active commuting behaviour in school children. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 64(1), 41-48.