Children’s Active School Travel: Examining the Combined Perceived and Objective Built-Environment Factors from Space Syntax

Abstract

Increasing active school travel (AST) among children may provide the required level of daily physical activity and reduce the prevalence of obesity. Despite efforts to promote this mode, recent evidence shows that AST rates continue to decrease in suburban and urban areas alike. The aim of this research study, therefore, is to facilitate our understanding of how objective and perceived factors near the home influence children’s AST in an understudied city, İstanbul, Turkey. Using data from a cross-sectional sample of students aged 12–14 from 20 elementary schools (n = 1802) and consenting parents (n = 843), we applied a nominal logistic regression model to highlight important predictors of AST. The findings showed that street network connectivity (as measured by two novel space syntax measures, metric reach and directional reach) was the main deciding factor for active commuting to school, while parents’ perceptions of condition of sidewalks and shade-casting street trees were moderately significant factors associated with AST. Overall, this study demonstrated the significance of spatial structure of street network around the homes in the potential for encouraging AST, and more importantly, the need to consider objective and perceived environmental attributes when strategizing means to increase this mode choice and reduce ill-health among children.

Measuring the Built Environment in Studies of Child Health—A Meta-Narrative Review of Associations

“…The heterogeneity inherent in the measurement of both health outcomes and BE features, including the apparent interchangeable use of objective and subjective measurements, means it is a significant challenge to isolate the key BE features that are linked to children's health [20]. Even when there is wide recognition of the significance of certain BE attributes, such as street connectivity in promoting health activities, the evidence remains ambiguous [21,22]. This in turn means that there is limited evidence to guide urban planning and policy decisions to shape healthy environments [23].…”

Influences of the Built Environment on Rural School Children’s Travel Mode Choice: The Case of Chengdu

“…Early research on public health linked childhood obesity to travel safety, and walking and cycling to school are considered active travel modes which can reduce obesity. Furthermore, they early research shows that students’ active commuting to and from school (e.g., walking, bicycling) has many social benefits [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Are neighborhood characteristics associated with physical activity levels among school children?

“…Studies evaluating the impact of environmental attributes on PA have been increasing throughout the recent years, yet most of this research comes from North America and Western Europe [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. To our knowledge, there is only limited number of studies in Turkey assessing the impact of environmental factors on the activity level of children [18][19][20]. These studies highlight the importance of street network connectivity, parents' perceptions of condition of sidewalks and shade-casting street trees and also the green areas around the home as correlates of activity [18,19].…”

“…To our knowledge, there is only limited number of studies in Turkey assessing the impact of environmental factors on the activity level of children [18][19][20]. These studies highlight the importance of street network connectivity, parents' perceptions of condition of sidewalks and shade-casting street trees and also the green areas around the home as correlates of activity [18,19]. Every community is unique in terms of its neighborhood characteristics, so local studies are essential in identifying the environmental factors enabling PA.…”