TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2008//
TI  - Increasing active travel to school: are we on the right track? A cluster randomised controlled trial from Sydney, Australia
JO  - Preventive medicine
A1  - Balafas, Angela
A1  - Wen, Li Ming
A1  - Dirkis, Helen
A1  - Rissel, Chris E.
A1  - Merom, Dafna
A1  - Fry, Denise
SP  - 612
EP  - 618
VL  - 47
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a program to increase walking to and from school. DESIGN: A cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING: 24 primary public schools in inner west Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 1996 students aged 10-12 years and their parents. INTERVENTION: A two-year multi-component program included classroom activities, development of school Travel Access Guides, parent newsletters and improving environments with local councils. MEASURES: Two measures were used: a survey completed by students on how they travelled to and from school over five days, and a survey completed by their parents on how their child travelled to and from school in a usual week. RESULTS: The percentage of students who walked to and from school increased in both the intervention and control schools. Data from parent surveys found that 28.8% of students in the intervention group increased their walking, compared with 19% in the control group (a net increase of 9.8%, p=0.05). However this effect was not evident in the student data. CONCLUSION: The study produced a mixed result, with a high variation in travel patterns from school to school. Intervention research should address the complexity of multiple factors influencing student travel to school with a focus on changing local environments and parents' travel to work.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0091-7435
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.09.002
ID  - ref1
ER  -