Research

Characteristics associated with US Walk to School programs

Dianne S Ward¹ , Laura Linnan² , Amber Vaughn³ , Brian Neelon³ , Sarah L Martin⁴ and Janet E Fulton⁴

¹  Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

²  Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

³  Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

⁴  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

author email corresponding author email

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2007, 4:67doi:10.1186/1479-5868-4-67

Published:	19 December 2007

Abstract

Participation in Walk to School (WTS) programs has grown substantially in the US since its inception; however, no attempt has been made to systematically describe program use or factors associated with implementation of environment/policy changes.

Objective

Describe the characteristics of schools' WTS programs by level of implementation.

Methods

Representatives from 450 schools from 42 states completed a survey about their WTS program's infrastructure and activities, and perceived impact on walking to school. Level of implementation was determined from a single question to which respondents reported participation in WTS Day only (low), WTS Day and additional programs (medium), or making policy/environmental change (high).

Results

The final model showed number of community groups involved was positively associated with higher level of implementation (OR = 1.78, 95%CI = 1.44, 2.18), as was funding (OR = 1.56, 95%CI = 1.26, 1.92), years of participation (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.23, 1.70), and use of a walkability assessment (OR = 3.22, 95%CI = 1.84, 5.64). Implementation level was modestly associated with increased walking (r = 0.18).

Conclusion

Strong community involvement, some funding, repeat participation, and environmental audits are associated with progms that adopt environmental/policy change, and seem to facilitate walking to school.