Pilot evaluation of a walking school bus program in a low-income, urban community
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of a walking school bus (WSB) program on student transport in a low-income, urban neighborhood. METHODS: The design was a controlled, quasi-experimental trial with consecutive cross-sectional assessments. The setting was three urban, socioeconomically disadvantaged, public elementary schools (1 intervention vs. 2 controls) in Seattle, Washington, USA. Participants were ethnically diverse students in kindergarten-5th grade (aged 5-11 years). The intervention was a WSB program consisting of a part-time WSB coordinator and parent volunteers. Students' method of transportation to school was assessed by a classroom survey at baseline and one-year follow-up. The Pearson Chi-squared test compared students transported to school at the intervention versus control schools at each time point. Due to multiple testing, we calculated adjusted p-values using the Ryan-Holm stepdown Bonferroni procedure. McNemar's test was used to examine the change from baseline to 12-month follow-up for walking versus all other forms of school transport at the intervention or control schools. RESULTS: At baseline, the proportions of students (n = 653) walking to the intervention (20% +/- 2%) or control schools (15% +/- 2%) did not differ (p = 0.39). At 12-month follow up, higher proportions of students (n = 643, p = 0.001)) walked to the intervention (25% +/- 2%) versus the control schools (7% +/- 1%). No significant changes were noted in the proportion of students riding in a car or taking the school bus at baseline or 12-month follow up (all p > 0.05). Comparing baseline to 12-month follow up, the numbers of students who walked to the intervention school increased while the numbers of students who used the other forms of transport did not change (p < 0.0001). In contrast, the numbers of students who walked to the control schools decreased while the numbers of students who used the other forms of transport did not change (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: A WSB program is a promising intervention among urban, low-income elementary school students that may promote favorable changes toward active transport to school. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00402701.
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In both walking school bus studies, compared with control schools, the program increased the proportion of children who reported walking to school.
“In both studies, compared with control schools, the program increased the proportion of children who reported that they were walking to school.”
From Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2012) · cites this paper as [266]
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References 32 · Cited by 95
- Authors
- Mendoza, J. A., Levinger, D. D., & Johnston, B. D.
- Affiliations
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mendoza, Jason A
- Venue
- BMC Public Health
- Published
- 2009-05-04
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 122-122
- ISSN
- 1471-2458 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2680829
- OpenAlex
- W2035219959
- Cited by
- 95
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 20.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- BMC Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Washington State University
- University of Washington
- Agricultural Research Service (58-6250-6-001)
- National Cancer Institute (K07CA131178)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Speech and Hearing › School Health and Nursing Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
- Keywords
- walking school bus, active travel, school transportation, elementary school students, low-income urban communities, parent volunteers, children's physical activity
- MeSH terms
- Child, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Pilot Projects, Poverty Areas, Safety, Schools, Transportation, Urban Health, Washington, Walking
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