In 2013, the State of Indiana enacted House Enrolled Act 1159 – Liability for Use of School Facilities. This bill limits the liability of a public school or an accredited nonpublic school that opens up school property for community physical activity. The General Assembly recognizes that schools are a great community resource. 

Key takeaway:

• Improving both knowledge and behavior for pedestrian safety among children may require complementary training with multiple tools and in different contexts.

The package of comprehensive fact sheets can be used by community leaders, policy makers, activists, and other interested citizens to learn more about creating livable communities for all ages.

Two years ago, Congress made major modifications to the federal Safe Routes to School program. While those changes are still being rolled out by state departments of transportation, it is time to examine how different states have adapted to those changes and how the changes have impacted the availability of Safe Routes to School funds. 

The number of children who bicycle or walk to school in the United States has plummeted, due to a combination of concerns about safety, access, and a lack of infrastructure, particularly in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

Learn how hospitals can play a role in implementing this strategy to address the community’s physical activity and nutrition needs.

In this webinar, a panel of experts offers a blueprint for those looking to implement joint use agreements in their own community.

This brief video provides an overview of barriers to physical activity and offers shared use of school facilities as an alternative.

This one minute video by ChangeLab Solutions provides a brief overview of how shared use can be an effective strategy to increase physical activity opportunities in a community.

This fact sheet illustrates how to include walking and biking into comprehensive plans. 

Key takeaway: Bicyclists’ exposure to air pollution can vary with roadway and travel characteristics, and transportation-related strategies can reduce exposure.

CONTEXT:  Exposure to elevated concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants in the near-road environment is associated with numerous adverse human health effects, including childhood cancer, which has been increasing since 1975.

Key takeaway: Cycling measures can improve urban air quality levels as part of a multifaceted approach toward reducing road traffic.

Importance:  Health is inextricably linked to climate change. It is important for clinicians to understand this relationship in order to discuss associated health risks with their patients and to inform public policy.

When children get to and from school by walking or bicycling, there are benefits for their health, physical activity levels, and academic achievement. However, sometimes school board members and superintendents don’t understand why walking and bicycling is relevant to their mission. 

Objectives. We described the associations of ambient air pollution exposure with race/ethnicity and racial residential segregation.

Key takeaway:

• Through interviews conducted while cycling, this study identified environmental factors and perceptions of road safety influencing children ages 10-12 to bicycle.

 Increasing walking and bicycling to school has been a national policy goal since Congress created the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. 

Key Takeaway: Walking and biking to school is an important part of multi-component comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs).

Background: The association of physical fitness with cognitive function in children and adolescents is unclear. The purpose of this ecological study was to describe the association between academic achievement, body mass index, and cardiovascular fitness in a large sample of elementary, middle, and high school students in Texas.