Understanding active school travel through the Behavioural Ecological Model

Active school travel (AST) is an important source of physical activity for children and a conceptual understanding of AST is necessary to inform promotion efforts. The aim of this article is to provide a conceptual analysis of AST. All currently identified AST formulations include intra-individual variables which are often recommended as intervention targets. However, existing literature lacks clarity on precisely how these intra-individual variables might shape specific AST interventions. Moreover, evaluative studies of AST interventions typically fail to specify an underpinning theory or model. To address this limitation, the Behavioural Ecological Model (BEM), not previously addressed in AST, is presented to guide this area of research. Based on specific examples, we draw attention to the role of potential antecedents and potential reinforcers of AST, as well as potential reinforcers of motorised travel. Antecedents and reinforcers may help to explain choices of school travel mode, and to inform and increase intervention options to promote AST. Consistent with the BEM, the provision of more immediate consequences, such as fun and material prizes, is an evidence-based strategy for increasing AST which is likely to be low-cost and easier to deliver than alternative interventions. This approach to the study of AST is expected to contribute to similar analyses in this and other areas of behaviour change research, and to a more useful discussion and treatment of theoretical and conceptual behavioural models

The road less travelled

Fewer Australian children walking or cycling to school today than ever before, according to this report. ACTIVE TRANSPORT – WHAT? HOW? AND WHY? When moving from place to place, people can get to where they are going using either passive transport (e.g. driving or being driven in a car), public transport (e.g. bus, train or tram) or active transport (e.g. walking, cycling, skateboard, scooter etc.). Active transport is one of the key behaviours that contributes to the overall physical activity levels of Australia’s children and young people; it involves little to no financial cost and can be easily incorporated into daily schedules with minimal forward planning. Benefits of active transport How much bang for your buck does active transport really provide? Other physical activity behaviours, such as organised sport participation or active play, tend to be more readily associated with kids ‘huffing and puffing’ as they move around. Some may question whether active transport meaningfully contributes to a child’s daily accumulation of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Children who use active transport to get to or from school are not only more physically active than those who do not but, also accumulate more daily minutes of health enhancing activity (i.e. MVPA), take more steps, expend more energy over the day and generally have better health-related fitness. Research in Canada showed that secondary school students who walked to school (either all of the way or as part of a trip using public transport) accumulated a substantial amount of MVPA across the total walking time (average walk trip duration of 12.6±6.5 minutes and average minutes per trip of MVPA 9.4±4.4 minutes). Studies conducted in the UK, found that school children accumulated anywhere from 5-6 minutes (age 11) to 10-11 minutes (ages 11-12) of MVPA during school-travel windows. These represent meaningful contributions of MVPA (8-18% of recommended daily MVPA) to a child’s daily physical activity total. Australian physical activity guidelines recommend that children accumulate at least 60 minutes of MVPA each day. Children and young people who are active on a daily basis are less likely to be overweight or obese, at reduced risk of developing conditions such as Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and more likely to see improvements in aerobic fitness and bone health and experience positive mental health benefits. In addition to the general health benefits and contributions towards daily physical activity, active transport participation specifically promotes social connectedness, a sense of independence, and can improve a child’s spatial awareness and knowledge regarding road rules and safety. Beyond the individual-level, active transport can create safer neighbourhoods by diffusing traffic congestion and reducing air pollution levels which could lead to numerous environmental benefits. &nbsp