What Role does the Built Environment Play in Determining School Travel in Ontario?

Given declines in physical activity among youth, active school travel (AST) is of increasing policy, practice and research interest. The effectiveness of the current interventions to promote AST is modest. Moreover, the current literature has little support on the associations between the built environment and AST. Therefore, to inform future interventions, this research program assesses in whom particular built environment attributes promote AST. My research program consists of three studies. The first study is a systematic review that identifies current knowledge on the associations between GIS-measures of the built environment attributes and AST and methodological limitations in the literature. Then, the second study identifies the prevalence, and individual, household, and environmental correlates of AST i) in the morning and ii) in the afternoon in Ontario, Canada. The third study identifies how objective measures (GIS-measures) of built environment attributes relate to AST and whether age, gender, and time of travel moderate such associations. The systematic review concluded that the associations between the GIS measures of the built environment and AST were weak except the distance to school. A number of methodological limitations contributed to these inconsistencies. The prevalence of AST varied by period of time (morning vs. afternoon) and across Ontario. Being involved in the decision-making process on school travel was an important individual correlate of AST. Moreover, a school neighbourhood with high residential density, and well connected street network with the presence of sidewalk and traffic controls around school was associated with walking school trips but such associations depend on age, gender, and time of travel. Future interventions should involve youth as advocates to promote AST. Moreover, intensifying school neighbourhoods, constructing well-connected street networks, and minor infrastructure improvements such as sidewalk and traffic control installment are recommended environmental strategies to promote AST together alongside interventions to address the age, gender, and temporal differences.Ph.D.2020-03-26 00:00:0