Lee Sungmin, Lee Chanam, Nam Ji Won, Abbey-Lambertz Mark, Mendoza Jason
Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut.
Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University.
J Transp Health. 2020 Sep;18. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2020.100880. Epub 2020 Jun 16.
Active school travel is an important way to promote children's physical activity, but it requires supportive environments that can safely and comfortably accommodate children's walking and biking. Few existing indices explicitly consider school neighborhood environmental factors related to children's walking to school. In this study, we used a street audit tool and Geographic Information System (GIS) to evaluate walkability near low-income elementary schools in Seattle, WA.
The audit-based school walkability index was developed based on all street segments (n=841) within a 0.4km network buffer from each study school (n=18). The GIS-based school walkability, a combination of road connectivity, vehicular traffic exposure, and residential density, was also measured in a 2km network buffer around each school. The participants were individuals aged 8-11 years (n=315) who participated in the Walking School Bus randomized controlled trial project. Mixed-effects logistic and linear models were used to examine the association of the index's representations of the built environment with children's school travel mode (walking or biking to school 1+ times per week) and with objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA, average weekday minutes during the 90-min before-school period). These associations were tested with the total sample as well as the subsample of children living within 1.5km from their schools.
The audit-based school walkability index (WI) was positively associated with both active commuting to school among the subsample living within 1.5km from their schools and with children's before-school MVPA among the subsample and the total sample. The GIS-based school WI showed significant associations with children's before-school MVPA but no relationships with active school travel among the subsample and the total sample.
The audit-based school walkability index can be used as a complementary tool for measuring walkability near low-income elementary schools along with existing GIS-based school walkability index.
积极的校园出行是促进儿童身体活动的重要方式，但这需要有支持性的环境，能够安全舒适地容纳儿童步行和骑自行车。现有的指标很少明确考虑与儿童步行上学相关的学校周边环境因素。在本研究中，我们使用街道审计工具和地理信息系统（GIS）来评估华盛顿州西雅图市低收入小学附近的步行适宜性。
基于审计的学校步行适宜性指数是根据每个研究学校（n = 18）周围0.4公里网络缓冲区内的所有街道段（n = 841）开发的。基于GIS的学校步行适宜性，即道路连通性、车辆交通暴露和居住密度的组合，也在每个学校周围2公里的网络缓冲区中进行了测量。参与者是年龄在8至11岁之间的个体（n = 315），他们参与了步行校车随机对照试验项目。混合效应逻辑模型和线性模型用于检验建成环境指标与儿童上学出行方式（每周步行或骑自行车上学1次及以上）以及客观测量的中度至剧烈身体活动（MVPA，上学前90分钟工作日平均分钟数）之间的关联。这些关联在总样本以及居住在距离学校1.5公里以内的儿童子样本中进行了测试。
基于审计的学校步行适宜性指数（WI）与居住在距离学校1.5公里以内的子样本中积极步行上学以及子样本和总样本中儿童上学前的MVPA均呈正相关。基于GIS的学校WI与儿童上学前的MVPA有显著关联，但与子样本和总样本中的积极校园出行没有关系。
基于审计的学校步行适宜性指数可以作为一种补充工具，与现有的基于GIS的学校步行适宜性指数一起用于测量低收入小学附近的步行适宜性。
