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Supporting active school travel: A qualitative analysis of implementing a regional safe routes to school program

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  • Buttazzoni, Adrian N.
  • Coen, Stephanie E.
  • Gilliland, Jason A.

Abstract

Physical inactivity among children is a significant public health concern. Active school travel (AST) methods, such as walking and wheeling to school, can be a valuable way to increase children's levels of daily physical activity. In Canada, Active and Safe Routes to School (ASRTS), a national health promotion initiative, has led the campaign for AST through its flagship school travel plan (STP) program. At present little is known about the on-the-ground implementation processes that impede or facilitate the success of STPs. Through a thematic analysis of 18 interviews with STP facilitators and 4 focus groups with the larger STP committees, our study evaluates the factors shaping the functioning of STP interventions at ten elementary schools participating in a regional ASRTS program in Southwestern Ontario. Our analysis yielded six themes that have implications for STP implementation and sustainability: 1) accounting for school context; 2) establishing committee capacity and leadership; 3) supporting STP action; 4) responsiveness to external and internal barriers; 5) engaging schools at the grassroots level; and 6) building future champions. We draw from Lewin's Field Theory and discuss the forces affecting STP committees to frame our findings in a way that can be discussed to support the building of efficient, effective, and viable AST intervention environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Buttazzoni, Adrian N. & Coen, Stephanie E. & Gilliland, Jason A., 2018. "Supporting active school travel: A qualitative analysis of implementing a regional safe routes to school program," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 181-190.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:212:y:2018:i:c:p:181-190
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas V. Vasey & Suzanne J. Carroll & Mark Daniel & Margaret Cargo, 2022. "Changing Primary School Children’s Engagement in Active School Travel Using Safe Routes to School Interventions: A Rapid Realist Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-29, August.
    2. Chenyu Lu & Changbin Yu & Xiaowan Liu, 2024. "Evaluating the Quality of Children’s Active School Travel Spaces and the Mechanisms of School District Friendliness Impact Based on Multi-Source Big Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Laura E. Smith & Veronique Gosselin & Patricia Collins & Katherine L. Frohlich, 2022. "A Tale of Two Cities: Unpacking the Success and Failure of School Street Interventions in Two Canadian Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Maria Cieśla & Elżbieta Macioszek, 2022. "The Perspective Projects Promoting Sustainable Mobility by Active Travel to School on the Example of the Southern Poland Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Andrew F. Clark & Melissa Thomas & Adrian Buttazzoni & Matthew Adams & Stephanie E. Coen & Jamie Seabrook & Danielle Tobin & Trish Tucker & Jason Gilliland, 2023. "Validating the Perceived Active School Travel Enablers and Barriers–Parent (PASTEB–P) Questionnaire to Support Intervention Programming and Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-23, May.

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