Barriers to and facilitators of walking and bicycling to school were explored through 12 focus groups made up of fourth- and fifth-grade students and their parents who lived near their respective schools.
- The barriers and facilitators reported by parents and children generally fell into one of three categories: intrapersonal and interpersonal characteristics of parents and children, environmental characteristics of the neighborhood, and environmental and policy characteristics of the school.
- Findings indicate that a supportive environment is a necessary but insufficient condition to increase walking and biking to school.
- Initiatives to increase active school travel may need to include multiple levels of intervention to be effective.
Ahlport, Kathryn N., Linnan, Laura, Vaughn, Amber, Evenson, Kelly R. and Ward, Dianne S. “Barriers to and Facilitators of Walking and Bicycling to School: Formative Results From the Non-Motorized Travel Study.” Health Education Behavior. 35.2 (2008): 221-244.
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