title: Predictors of children's active commuting to school: an observational evaluation in 5 U.S. communities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few reports examined long term predictors of children's active commuting to school (walking or cycling to school, ACS).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify predictors of ACS over 1 school year among a sample of children with relatively high rates of ACS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents were surveyed in September 2010 (Time 1) and April 2011 (Time 2). The dependent variable was children's commuting mode to school (active versus passive). Independent variables included: 1) parents' outcome expectations (from Social Cognitive Theory: the expected risks/benefits for their child doing ACS), 2) distance to school, 3) participation in an adult-led walk to school group, 4) temperature, and 5) child demographics. Generalized mixed-models estimated odds ratios for ACS (n = 369 or 49.7% of Time 1 respondents).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Males (OR = 2.59, 95% CI [1.57-4.30]), adult-led walk to school group participation (OR = 1.80, 95% CI [1.14-2.86]), parents' outcome expectations (OR = 1.26, 95% CI [1.14-1.39]), temperature (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.01-1.07), distance to school (OR = 0.23, 95% CI [0.14-0.37]), and Latino ethnicity (OR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.12-0.65]) were associated with ACS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Programs and policies sensitive to parents' concerns (eg, adult-led walk to school groups) and targeting Latinos and girls appear promising for increasing ACS.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine and the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012449:Safety; D012574:Schools; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D016138:Walking / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014887:Weather