Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, Children's Mercy Hospital, 610 E. 22nd St, Kansas City, MO 64113. Email:
Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2020 Oct 15;17:E127. doi: 10.5888/pcd17.200061.
Walking school bus programs increase children's physical activity through active travel to school; however, research to inform large-scale implementation of such programs is limited. We investigated contextual factors, implementation outcomes, and student outcomes in existing walking school bus programs in the United States and internationally.
Walking school bus programs involve a group of children walking to school together with an adult leader. On the trip to school, these adults provide social support, address potential traffic and interpersonal safety, and serve as role models to the children while children increase their physical activity levels.
We conducted surveys with existing walking school bus programs identified through internet searches, referrals, and relevant email listservs. Leaders from 184 programs that operated at least 1 trip per week completed the survey. We used regression analyses to compare differences in contextual factors by area income and location, associations between contextual factors and implementation outcomes, and associations between implementation outcomes and student outcomes.
Walking school bus programs in low-income communities had more route leaders and engaged in more active travel to school-related activities of being sustained than those in higher income. Programs that had no external funding, multiple route leaders, and coordination by a school or district staff member (as opposed to a parent) had greater student participation than other programs. Providing more trips than other programs per week was associated with reduced tardiness, reduced bullying, and improved neighborhood walkability. The greatest barriers to implementation were recruiting and maintaining students and identifying and maintaining route leaders.
Walking school bus programs can be implemented successfully in many contexts using various models. The involvement of several people in leadership roles is critical for sustainability. Evidence-based implementation strategies that overcome barriers can improve reach, implementation, and sustainability of walking school bus programs and can increase children's physical activity.
步行校车计划通过积极上学的方式增加儿童的身体活动；然而，关于此类计划的大规模实施的研究有限。我们在美国和国际上调查了现有的步行校车计划的背景因素、实施结果和学生结果。
步行校车计划涉及一群孩子与一名成人领队一起步行上学。在上学的路上，这些成年人提供社会支持，解决潜在的交通和人际安全问题，并为孩子树立榜样，同时孩子提高他们的身体活动水平。
我们通过互联网搜索、推荐和相关电子邮件列表，对现有的步行校车计划进行了调查。每周至少进行一次旅行的 184 个计划的领导人完成了调查。我们使用回归分析比较了不同地区收入和位置的背景因素差异，以及背景因素与实施结果之间的关联，以及实施结果与学生结果之间的关联。
低收入社区的步行校车计划比高收入社区的计划有更多的路线领导人和更积极的上学相关活动，如持续进行。没有外部资金、有多个路线领导人和由学校或地区工作人员协调（而不是家长）的计划比其他计划的学生参与度更高。与其他计划相比，每周提供更多的旅行与减少迟到、减少欺凌和改善邻里步行性有关。实施的最大障碍是招募和维持学生以及识别和维持路线领导。
步行校车计划可以在许多背景下使用各种模式成功实施。几个人在领导角色中的参与对于可持续性至关重要。克服障碍的循证实施策略可以提高步行校车计划的覆盖范围、实施和可持续性，并增加儿童的身体活动。
