Citation

Ham SA, Martin SL, Kohl HW. J. Phys. Act. Health 2008; 5(2): 205-215.

Affiliation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Human Kinetics Publishers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

18382030

Abstract

Background: This report describes changes in the percentage of US students (age 5 to 18 years) who walked or bicycled to school and in the distance that they lived from or traveled to their school in 1969 and 2001 and travel patterns in 2001. Methods: Data were from the 1969 National Personal Transportation Survey report on school travel and the 2001 National Household Transportation Survey. Results: A smaller percentage of students lived within 1 mile of school in 2001 than in 1969. The percentage of students who walked or biked any distance decreased from 42.0% to 16.2%. Nearly half of students used more than 1 travel mode or went to an additional destination en route between home and school in 2001. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary efforts are needed to increase the percentage of students who walk or bike to school, as well as decrease the distances that students travel.

Language: en