Study highlights opportunities and challenges for children to get to school actively

by | Aug 27, 2024 | News | 0 comments

This is a figure that shows the theoretical framing of the research, drawing from the five Es of safe routes to school, an ecological approach, and affordance theory. The figure also shows the measures used in the study and how they align with this theoretical framing.

Summary

This new research evaluated an intervention to support children’s active school travel (AST). Positive experiences were reported, but environmental constraints like lack of space and unsafe traffic were noted. Recommendations include team-based management, better communication, and addressing equity issues, especially for tamariki Māori and disabled children and whānau. Future research should focus on sustainable, inclusive strategies to support AST.

New research just published has evaluated the Power Up programme, focusing on its impact on children’s active school travel (AST) and the perceptions of various stakeholders. The findings indicate that the programme effectively increased active travel among children, with parents noting that their children were now advocating for their ability to travel to school actively.

The full paper can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291124001773

Key Findings:

  • Effectiveness: The Power Up programme successfully increased active travel among children.
  • Safety: While there were indications of improved safety, some activities (like street closures and temporary street changes) were controversial and seen as exclusionary by some respondents.
  • Implementation: The interventions were temporary and localized, highlighting the need for comprehensive, area-wide approaches in future initiatives.

Children’s and Parents’ Perspectives:

  • Positive Experiences: Both children and parents had positive views of the programme. Children spoke of the joy and connection afforded by AST, aligning with previous research on the benefits of active travel.
  • Environmental Constraints: Children identified physical constraints, such as lack of space and unsafe traffic environments, which affected their ability to use active travel modes.

Opportunities for Improvement:

  • Sustainability: Time constraints and lack of capacity for Walking School Bus (WSB) drivers remain challenges. Innovative solutions, such as making WSB systems more flexible and providing incentives for drivers, are needed.
  • Parental Support: While parents supported WSBs and Kiss’n’drops, there was less support for park and walk, street changes, and street closures. Inclusive and flexible approaches are recommended to ensure equitable access for all children, including those with disabilities.

Recommendations for Future Interventions:

  • Team Approach: Have a team of school representatives rather than one individual running activities.
  • Information Packs: Develop information packs with clear rationales for initiatives, targeted at different groups (schools, residents, parents, children).
  • Community Engagement: Allocate more time for parent and community engagement and undertake in-depth consultations with residents.
  • Minimize Impacts: Minimize flow-on impacts on streets further away and make strategies clear in communications.
  • Communication Strategies: Develop strategies for emergency access and engage new parents and children using diverse communication lines.
  • Administrative Support: Ensure schools do not bear administrative burdens for technical or street-related programme aspects.
  • Resident Access: Minimize impact on resident access during street closures.

Equity Considerations:

  • Inclusion: Address inequities in active travel experiences, particularly for tamariki Māori (Indigenous children of NZ) and other socio-demographic groups.
  • Barriers: Recognize unique barriers faced by rural schools and those with differing mobility abilities.

Strengths and Limitations:

  • Participation Rates: Low follow-up survey participation and focus group engagement may limit the generalizability of findings.
  • COVID-19 Impact: The study was conducted during COVID-19, which likely affected engagement and participation.

This research provides valuable insights for future school interventions and highlights the importance of comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable approaches to support active school travel.