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Exploring independent and active mobility in primary school children in Vienna

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  • Stark, Juliane
  • Frühwirth, Julia
  • Aschauer, Florian

Abstract

Declining active and independent mobility in primary school children poses a threat to the development of the children's psycho-motoric and cognitive abilities. Increasing accompaniment of children, which is often carried out as car transportation, creates more motorized traffic, thus leading to lower likelihood of other children traveling independently and actively. Against this background, a two-step survey was conducted to analyse the active and independent mobility (AIM) of primary school children. In a first step, mobility licenses and mobility data were collected with the help of travel diaries including specific information on travel accompaniment. In the second step, in-depth interviews with parents were conducted. Although the data can only provide a snapshot of the independent mobility of primary school children, this study confirms that active and independent mobility is the result of a variety of factors. The results indicate that – besides trip distance and age –the type of school (all-day/half-day primary school) is likewise relevant. Based on the parents' assessments, significant sharing of trips takes place in case travel accompaniment is unnecessary. Depending on the parents' attitudes towards AIM, we identified three “profiles” (Promoters, Pragmatists and Protectors). Linking these profiles to indicators of AIM reveals that different attitudes manifest themselves in children's travel patterns. The results are limited as only two schools served as sources of data and it was not possible to decouple the parental profiles from children's ages. Overall, it can be concluded that there is potential for improved active and independent mobility in children. To be effective, future campaigns need to consider parental attitudes.

Suggested Citation

  • Stark, Juliane & Frühwirth, Julia & Aschauer, Florian, 2018. "Exploring independent and active mobility in primary school children in Vienna," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 31-41.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:68:y:2018:i:c:p:31-41
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.02.007
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    Cited by:

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    2. Leung, Kevin Y.K. & Astroza, Sebastian & Loo, Becky P.Y. & Bhat, Chandra R., 2019. "An environment-people interactions framework for analysing children's extra-curricular activities and active transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 341-358.
    3. Elise Desjardins & Zahra Tavakoli & Antonio Páez & Edward Owen Douglas Waygood, 2022. "Children’s Access to Non-School Destinations by Active or Independent Travel: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-18, September.
    4. Ester Ayllón & Nieves Moyano & Azucena Lozano & María-Jesús Cava, 2019. "Parents’ Willingness and Perception of Children’s Autonomy as Predictors of Greater Independent Mobility to School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-14, February.
    5. Negin A. Riazi & Kelly Wunderlich & Lira Yun & Derek C. Paterson & Guy Faulkner, 2022. "Social-Ecological Correlates of Children’s Independent Mobility: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, January.
    6. Dias, Charitha & Abdullah, Muhammad & Lovreglio, Ruggiero & Sachchithanantham, Sumana & Rekatheeban, Markkandu & Sathyaprasad, I.M.S., 2022. "Exploring home-to-school trip mode choices in Kandy, Sri Lanka," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Rotaris, Lucia & Del Missier, Fabio & Scorrano, Mariangela, 2023. "Comparing children and parental preferences for active commuting to school. A focus on Italian middle-school students," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
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