Walking school buses as a form of active transportation for children — a review of the evidence

Smith, Elizabeth, Norgate, Sarah, Cherrett, Thomas, Davies, Nigel, Winstanley, Chris and Harding, Mike (2015) Walking school buses as a form of active transportation for children — a review of the evidence. Journal of School Health, 85 (3), 197-210. (doi:10.1111/josh.12239).

Abstract

Walking school buses (WSBs) offer a potentially healthier way for children to get to school while reducing traffic congestion. A number of pressing societal challenges make it timely to evaluate evidence of their value.


METHODS


Studies that focused solely on WSBs were identified through online and manual literature searches. Twelve WSB studies involving a total of 9169 children were reviewed. Study aims, designs, methods, outcomes, and barriers and facilitators were examined.


RESULTS


WSBs were found to be associated with increased prevalence of walking to school and general activity levels although not always significantly. Time constraints emerged as barriers to WSBs, impacting on recruitment of volunteers and children to the WSBs. Facilitators of WSBs included children enjoying socializing and interacting with the environment.


CONCLUSIONS


Preliminary evidence of the health value of WSBs was demonstrated, along with recommendations for the design of future studies. By tackling barriers of time constraints, volunteer recruitment, and parents' safety concerns while at the same time, increasing convenience and time savings for families, future WSBs are likely to be more sustainable and taken up by more schools. Implications for future innovation in school health were identified.

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Contributors

Author: Thomas Cherrett

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