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Gender differences in personal, social and environmental influences on active travel to and from school for Australian adolescents
journal contribution
posted on 2010-11-01, 00:00 authored by Evie Leslie, Peter KremerPeter Kremer, John ToumbourouJohn Toumbourou, Jo WilliamsActive travel (walking or cycling for transport) is an important contributor to adolescents overall physical activity (PA). This study examines associations between personal, social and environmental variables and active travel to and from school using data from a large observational study to examine active travel in 2961 year 6 and 8 students (48.7% male), aged 10–14 years (M = 11.4, SD = 0.8 yrs) from 231 schools. Participants completed an on-line survey and all reported living within 2 km of school. Data collected included mode of travel to and from school, self-reported health, and PA variables. Social environmental variables included having playgrounds, parks or gyms close by, feeling safe to walk alone, barriers to walking in the neighbourhood (e.g. traffic, no footpaths), peer and family support for PA, existence of sports teams/scout groups, community disorder and perceived neighbourhood safety. Results showed that while more girls (44.3%) than boys (37.4%) walked to school, lower proportions rode bikes (8.3% vs 22.4%) and hence fewer were active travellers overall. Logistic regression models, adjusted for age, location and socio-economic status were conducted for active travel to/from school, separately for boys and girls. Predictors for boys and girls being ‘active travellers’ to/from school included recreational facilities close to home, higher perceived safety of the neighbourhood and higher community disorder. For boys, social support from friends, scout groups available and higher enjoyment of physical activity was also important. These findings suggest areas for future research and may be used to guide strategies to increase active travel to and from school.
History
Journal
Journal of science and medicine in sportVolume
13Issue
6Pagination
597 - 601Publisher
Elsevier AustraliaLocation
Chatswood, N.S.W.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1440-2440eISSN
1878-1861Language
engNotes
Available online 1 July 2010.Publication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2010, Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Usage metrics
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