This fact sheet provides an overview of why it is important to engage school district leaders in Safe Routes to School and the results that can be achieved through a strong partnership.

Background: Obesity and abdominal obesity are independently associated with morbidity and mortality. Physical activity attenuates these risks. We examined trends in obesity, abdominal obesity, physical activity, and caloric intake in U.S. adults from 1988 to 2010.

This checklist offers questions and actions to consider when preparing to work with your school board in support of Safe Routes to School, whether through official board policies, revised procedures, or other approaches.

One of the best ways to make sure that walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School programs are vigorous and sustained over time in your district is to include these programs in school district policies.

This brief one-pager on shared use, serves as a tool to engage advocates on the issue of shared use. 

State Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs provide competitive grants to local projects that support safe walking, bicycling, and other modes of active school travel (AST). This study assessed changes in rates of AST after implementation of SRTS projects at multiple sites across four states (Florida, Mississippi, Washington and Wisconsin).

This report summarized findings and lessons learned to increase proper bicycle helmet use among middle school students, based on an 8 week peer-based program. 

This brief video illustrates the importance of addressing liability concerns in order for broader implementation of shared use agreement in the state of Ohio.

Key takeaway:

• State legislation with clear liability protection for schools that offer recreational facilities for community use (“shared use”) can reduce school administrators’ liability concerns and encourage public access to facilities for physical activity and recreation.

An “open use policy” allows school districts and others to formally grant community access to their facilities and set forth the roles, rights, and responsibilities of all involved. 

Background: This study compared the two-year change in physical activity among 10-11 year-old children attending schools with and without health promotion programs by activity level, body weight status, and socioeconomic backgrounds to assess whether health promotion programs reduce or exacerbate health inequalities.

Communities across the country suffer from insufficient physical activity and a lack of access to physical activity opportunities. Shared use can be a simple solution to increase physical activity in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. 

Communities with limited access to public recreational space are exploring opportunities to develop partnerships with schools for the use of school property to promote physical activity in the community. 

Student transportation departments have the potential to focus on more than just busing students to school. 

This webinar is part two of a two-part series that will explore in depth tried and true methods for working with volunteers in Safe Routes to School programs, as well as other school and community-based volunteer initiatives.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that the presence of a friend increases physical activity behavior in school-aged children (≥ 8 years old) and in young adolescents. Little is known about the developmental trajectory of the effects of peer influences on children's physical activity.

While it may seem obvious that shifting trips from vehicles to active modes like walking and bicycling will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), it has historically been difficult to quantify the benefits that active transportation improvements will have.

• Objective: Long, uninterrupted bouts of sedentary behavior are thought to negatively influence postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. We examined the effects of a 1-h bout of morning exercise versus intermittent walking bouts of short duration on glucose excursions and insulin secretion over 12-h.

Recent reports suggest that the rapid growth in youth obesity seen in the 1980s and 1990s has plateaued.