Fewer children are riding their bikes or walking to school than in the past, a trend that has implications for children's health.
The study, "Longitudinal Changes in Active Transportation to School in Canadian Youth Aged 6 Through 16 Years," in the August 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online July 4), examines the factors that influence the likelihood of a child using active transportation - such as biking or walking - to get to school.
Parents of children followed from kindergarten through 10th grade were surveyed about their children's transportation to school. Children's use of active transportation increased to a peak at age 10, and then declined as they grew older. Children in lower-income households, who had older siblings at home, those living in a single-parent home, and those living in urban areas were more likely to use active transportation to school.
Study authors conclude that better understanding the factors that influence how children get to school may help encourage more families to bike or walk to school, leading to lifelong healthy behaviors.
