title: Transit Use by Children and Adolescents: An Overlooked Source of and Opportunity for Physical Activity?
abstract: The potential for adults to accrue significant physical activity through public transit use is a topic of interest. However, there are no data on analogous questions among children. The goal of this analysis was to quantify patterns of transit use and correlates of transit-related physical activity among children aged 5 to 17 years.
  
  
  
  Data for this cross-sectional study came from the 2012 California Household Travel Survey. Probit regressions modeled the probability of transit use; negative binomial regressions modeled minutes/day in transit-related active travel.
  
  
  
  Public transit use accounted for 3% of trips in California in 2012. Older Hispanic youth and those residing in areas with greater housing density and county size had a higher probability of transit use. Driver licensure, home ownership, household income, and vehicles in household were negatively correlated with public transit use. Race/ethnicity, income, and transit type were correlated with time spent in active travel to/ from transit.
  
  
  
  Given its importance as a source of physical activity for some children, researchers should consider assessment of public transit-related activity in physical activity measurement instruments. Efforts to encourage active travel should consider how to incorporate transit-related activity, both from a measurement perspective and as an intervention strategy.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Health Promotion & Behavioral Science, and the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas Health Science Center Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Casey P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.forename: Kelley K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Pettee Gabriel
authors.forename: Deanna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Hoelscher
authors.forename: Harold W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kohl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014186:Transportation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*