Promoting walking to school: results of a quasi-experimental trial

Study objective: To assess the impact of a combined intervention on children's travel behaviour, stage of behavioural change and motivations for and barriers to actively commuting to school. Design: A quasi-experimental trial involving pre- and post-intervention mapping of routes to school by active and inactive mode of travel and surveys of ``stage of behaviour change'' and motivations for and barriers to actively commuting to school. Intervention: The intervention school participated in a school-based active travel project for one school term. Active travel was integrated into the curriculum and participants used interactive travel-planning resources at home. The control school participated in before and after measurements but did not receive the intervention. Setting: Two primary schools in Scotland with similar socioeconomic and demographic profiles. Participants: Two classes of primary 5 children and their families and teachers. Main results: Post intervention, the mean distance travelled to school by walking by intervention children increased significantly from baseline, from 198 to 772 m (389% increase). In the control group mean distance walked increased from 242 to 285 m (17% increase). The difference between the schools was significant (t ( 38) = -4.679, p < 0.001 (95% confidence interval 2315 to 2795 m)). Post intervention, the mean distance travelled to school by car by intervention children reduced significantly from baseline, from 2018 to 933 m (57.5% reduction). The mean distance travelled to school by car by control children increased from baseline, from 933 to 947 m (1.5% increase). The difference in the change between schools was significant (t ( 32) = 4.282, p < 0.001 (95% confidence interval 445 to 1255 m)). Conclusions: Intervention was effective in achieving an increase in the mean distance travelled by active mode and a reduction in the mean distance travelled by inactive mode on school journey.