title: The impact of state safe routes to school-related laws on active travel to school policies and practices in U.S. elementary schools.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between state laws requiring minimum bussing distances, hazardous route exemptions, sidewalks, crossing guards, speed zones, and traffic control measures around schools and active travel to school (ATS) policies/practices in nationally representative samples of U.S. public elementary schools between 2007-2009. The state laws and school data were compiled through primary legal research and annual mail-back surveys of principals, respectively. Multivariate logistic and zero-inflated poisson regression indicated that all state law categories (except for sidewalks) relate to ATS. These laws should be considered in addition to formal safe routes to school programs as possible influences on ATS.
authors.affiliation: Bridging the Gap Program, Institute for Health Research and Policy and Department of Political Science, 1747W. Roosevelt Road, M/C 275, Room 558, Chicago, IL 60608, USA. jchriqui@uic.edu
authors.forename: Jamie F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Chriqui
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Taber
authors.forename: Sandy J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: Lindsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Kerri McGowan
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lowrey
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chaloupka
mesh_terms: D001642:Bicycling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D011640:Public Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012449:Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012574:Schools / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D016138:Walking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence