Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department Tranzo, Scientific Center for Care and Welfare, Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands,
Int J Behav Med. 2013 Dec;20(4):538-55. doi: 10.1007/s12529-012-9271-0.
Active commuting to school can contribute to active living among children, and environmental characteristics might be related to transportation mode to school.
The purpose of this study is to explore the association between physical and social environmental characteristics in the home, neighborhood, and school environment and walking and bicycling to school.
Data were collected among parents (n = 5,963) of children of primary schools in four Dutch cities. Parents reported mode of transportation to school, and individual, home environmental, neighborhood, and school environmental characteristics. Social as well as physical characteristics were included for the home and neighborhood environment. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to quantify the association between environmental characteristics and walking and bicycling to school.
Three quarter of all children usually commute to school by active transportation, but age and distance from home to school were important prerequisites. Besides home environmental characteristics, lower neighborhood socioeconomic status was negatively associated with walking [odds ratio (OR) = 0.51] and bicycling (OR = 0.86). Perceived social safety was positively related to walking and bicycling (OR = 1.04 for both), as was perceived social cohesion (OR = 1.04 and 1.02 for walking and bicycling). Living in the city center was positively associated with walking (OR = 1.91), whereas living in a city green neighborhood was negatively associated with walking and bicycling (OR = 0.48 and 0.76, respectively). Traffic safety as perceived by school boards was positively associated with bicycling (OR = 1.25).
This study shows that there is a relation between several characteristics in the home, neighborhood, and school environment and walking and bicycling to school among Dutch primary school children. Especially the social neighborhood characteristics were related to active commuting. Therefore, apart from providing a physical infrastructure that facilitates safe and convenient active commuting to school, policy makers should be aware of opportunities to facilitate active commuting by social initiatives in local communities.
积极的上学交通方式有助于儿童的积极生活，环境特征可能与上学的交通方式有关。
本研究旨在探讨家庭、邻里和学校环境中的物理和社会环境特征与步行和骑车上学之间的关系。
数据来自荷兰四个城市的小学学生家长（n=5963）。家长报告了上学的交通方式以及个人、家庭环境、邻里和学校环境特征。家庭和邻里环境中既包括社会特征也包括物理特征。采用多水平多项逻辑回归分析来量化环境特征与步行和骑车上学之间的关系。
所有儿童中有四分之三通常通过积极的交通方式上学，但年龄和家到学校的距离是重要的前提条件。除了家庭环境特征外，较低的邻里社会经济地位与步行（比值比 [OR] = 0.51）和骑车（OR = 0.86）呈负相关。感知社会安全与步行和骑车呈正相关（OR = 1.04 和 1.02），感知社会凝聚力也是如此（OR = 1.04 和 1.02）。居住在市中心与步行呈正相关（OR = 1.91），而居住在城市绿地社区与步行和骑车呈负相关（OR = 0.48 和 0.76）。学校董事会感知的交通安全与骑车呈正相关（OR = 1.25）。
本研究表明，家庭、邻里和学校环境中的几个特征与荷兰小学生步行和骑车上学之间存在关系。特别是邻里的社会特征与积极的上学交通方式有关。因此，除了提供促进安全便捷的上学积极交通方式的物质基础设施外，政策制定者还应意识到通过地方社区的社会举措促进积极交通的机会。
