Active transport to school is associated with higher levels of physical activity in children. Promotion of active transport has therefore gained attention as a potential target to increase children’s physical activity levels. Recent studies have recognized that the distance between home and school is an important predictor for active travel among children. These studies did not yet use the promising global positioning system (GPS) methods to objectively assess active transport. This study aims to explore active transport to school in relation to the distance between home and school among a sample of Dutch elementary school children, using GPS. Seventy-nine children, aged 6-11 years, were recruited in six schools that were located in five cities in the Netherlands. All children were asked to wear a GPS receiver for one week. All measurements were conducted between December 2008 and April 2009. Based on GPS recordings, the distance of the trips between home and school were calculated. In addition, the mode of transport (i.e., walking, cycling, motorized transport) was determined using the average and maximum speed of the GPS tracks. Then, proportion of walking and cycling trips to school was determined in relation to the distance between home and school. Out of all school trips that were recorded (n = 812), 79.2% were classified as active transport. On average, active commuting trips were of a distance of 422 meters with an average speed of 5.2 km/hour. The proportion of walking trips declined significantly at increased school trip distance, whereas the proportion of cycling trips (β = 1.23, p < 0.01) and motorized transport (β = 3.61, p < 0.01) increased. Almost all GPS tracks less than 300 meters were actively commuted, while of the tracks above 900 meters, more than half was passively commuted. In the current research setting, active transport between home and school was the most frequently used mode of travel. Increasing distance seems to be associated with higher levels of passive transport. These results are relevant for those involved in decisions on where to site schools and residences, as it may affect healthy behavior among children. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-227 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanned/
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Western cities are rapidly densifying, and new building typologies are beinginvented to mitigate high-rise and balance residential, commercial andrecreational functions. This vertical urbanization requires rethinking thetraditional design of public space to promote citizens’ well-being. While the scarce studies on high-rise environments indicate several risks, including social fragmentation and privatization of public functions (Henderson-Wilson 2008; Love et al., 2014), mental stress and undermining attention restoration (Mazumder et al., 2020; Lindal & Hartig 2013), evidence on the potential salutary and mitigating effects of architectural design qualities is limited (Suurenbroek & Spanjar 2023).The Building for Well-being research project combines biometric and socialdata-collection techniques to address this gap. It builds on studies investigatinghow built environments allow user engagement (Mallgrave 2013; Simpson2018) and afford important activities (Gibson 1966). This case study focuseson the experiences of predominant users of the NDSM Wharf in Amsterdamas it is transformed from a post-industrial site into a high-density, mixeduseneighborhood. Using eye-tracking, field and laboratory-based surveys, itexplores how residents, passers-by and visitors visually experience, appreciateand perceive the restorative value of the wharf’s recently developed urbanspaces.Thirty-six university students were randomly recruited as test subjects for thelaboratory test and assigned to one of the three user groups. The residentand passer-by groups were primed for familiarity. Each group was assigneda distinct walking mode and participants were told to imagine they werestrolling (residents), rushing (passers-by) or exploring (visitors). The exposuretime to visual stimuli of participants was five seconds per image. Afterwards,they reported on the perceived restorative quality of ten urban spaces,focusing on: (1) sense of being away, (2) level of complexity-compatibilityand (3) fascination, based on an adapted Restorative Components Scale (RCS,Yin et al. 2022; Laumann et al. 2001). Self-reported appreciation per scenewas measured on a 10-point Likert scale and subjects indicated elements inthe ten urban spaces they liked or disliked (see Figure 1). A semi-structuredon-site survey was also carried out to investigate user experiences furtherand for triangulation. Thirty-one users, consisting of residents, passers-byand visitors to the NDSM Wharf, rated their appreciation of the site and itsperceived restorative and design qualities (following Ewing & Clemente, 2013)on a 10-point Likert scale.The meta-data analysis of RCS statistics, appreciation values, eye-trackingmetrics and heatmaps reveals distinct visual patterns among user groups. Thispoints to the influence of environmental tasks and roles (see Figure 2). Strollingand exploring resulted in a comprehensive visual exploration of scenes with ahigher mean total fixation count and shorter mean total fixation duration thangoal-oriented walking. It suggests that walking mode determines the level ofopenness to the environment and that architectural attributes can also steervisual exploration. Scenes with the highest appreciation scores correlatedwith the RCS outcomes. They displayed coherence and opportunities forsocial engagement, contrasting with scenes with inconsistent industrial andcontemporary features. These findings provide spatial designers with insightsinto the subliminal experiences of predominant user groups to promote wellbeing in urban transformation.
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Background: The purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of environmental correlates that are associated with route choice during active transportation to school (ATS) by comparing characteristics of actual walking and cycling routes between home and school with the shortest possible route to school. Methods: Children (n = 184; 86 boys, 98 girls; age range: 8–12 years) from seven schools in suburban municipalities in the Netherlands participated in the study. Actual walking and cycling routes to school were measured with a GPS-device that children wore during an entire school week. Measurements were conducted in the period April–June 2014. Route characteristics for both actual and shortest routes between home and school were determined for a buffer of 25 m from the routes and divided into four categories: Land use (residential, commercial, recreational, traffic areas), Aesthetics (presence of greenery/natural water ways along route), Traffic (safety measures such as traffic lights, zebra crossings, speed bumps) and Type of street (pedestrian, cycling, residential streets, arterial roads). Comparison of characteristics of shortest and actual routes was performed with conditional logistic regression models. Results: Median distance of the actual walking routes was 390.1 m, whereas median distance of actual cycling routes was 673.9 m. Actual walking and cycling routes were not significantly longer than the shortest possible routes. Children mainly traveled through residential areas on their way to school (>80 % of the route). Traffic lights were found to be positively associated with route choice during ATS. Zebra crossings were less often present along the actual routes (walking: OR = 0.17, 95 % CI = 0.05–0.58; cycling: OR = 0.31, 95 % CI = 0.14–0.67), and streets with a high occurrence of accidents were less often used during cycling to school (OR = 0.57, 95 % CI = 0.43–0.76). Moreover, percentage of visible surface water along the actual route was higher compared to the shortest routes (walking: OR = 1.04, 95 % CI = 1.01–1.07; cycling: OR = 1.03, 95 % CI = 1.01–1.05). Discussion: This study showed a novel approach to examine built environmental exposure during active transport to school. Most of the results of the study suggest that children avoid to walk or cycle along busy roads on their way to school. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0373-y
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