Walking to school: frequency and predictors among primary school children in Dunedin, New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the frequency of walking to school among primary school children and examine associated factors.


METHODS
In-class survey of Years 1-6 children attending Dunedin primary schools, November 2004, and a take home, written questionnaire for parents and caregivers.


RESULTS
On study day, 34.5% of children walked to school and 36.8% intended to walk home. Overall, 1157 completed caregiver questionnaires were returned (68%) indicating that 47.5% of children walked to or from school less than three times per week. The strongest predictor of walking was proximity to school (<1 km OR 29.3, 1-2 km OR 7.7, 2-3 km OR 3.0, >3 km OR 1.00). Other predictors were not having a car in the household (OR 10.9), attending a (low socioeconomic) decile 2 to 4 school (2.35), having three or more adults in the household (1.85), being in a higher school year (1.72), having non-New Zealand European ethnicity (>1.41), having a parent who had walked to school (1.35), and being male (1.33).


CONCLUSIONS
This study established a baseline for the percentage of Dunedin primary school children walking to school. Key potentially modifiable predictors of walking were proximity to school and not having a car in the household. These findings have implications for health, transport and educational policies.
Yelavich
Sofie
S
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Towns
Cindy
C
Burt
Richard
R
Chow
Kent
K
Donohue
Roana
R
Sani
Haji S H
HS
Taylor
Keryn
K
Gray
Andrew
A
Eberhart-Phillips
Jason
J
Sani
Haji S H
HS
Reeder
Anthony I
AI
D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*