TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Neighborhood incivilities, perceived neighborhood safety, and walking to school among urban-dwelling children
JO  - Journal of physical activity and health
A1  - Rossen, Lauren M.
A1  - Pollack, Keshia M.
A1  - Curriero, Frank C.
A1  - Shields, Timothy M.
A1  - Smart, Mieka J.
A1  - Furr-Holden C, Debra M.
A1  - Cooley-Strickland, Michele R.
SP  - 262
EP  - 271
VL  - 8
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: Walking to school is an important source of physical activity among children. There is a paucity of research exploring environmental determinants of walking to school among children in urban areas. <br><br>METHODS: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data (2007) from 365 children in the "Multiple Opportunities to Reach Excellence" (MORE) Study (8 to 13 years; Mean 9.60 years, SD 1.04). Children and caregivers were asked about walking to school and perceived safety. <br><br>OBJECTIVE measures of the environment were obtained using a validated environmental neighborhood assessment. <br><br>RESULTS: Over half (55.83%) of children reported walking to school most of the time. High levels of neighborhood incivilities were associated with lower levels of perceived safety (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.72). Living on a block above the median in incivilities was associated with a 353% increase in odds of walking to school (OR: 3.53; 95% CI: 1.68 to 7.39). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Children residing in neighborhoods high in incivilities are more likely to walk to school, in spite of lower levels of perceived safety. As a high proportion of children residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods walk to school, efforts should be directed at minimizing exposure to neighborhood hazards by ensuring safe routes to and from school.    KW: SW2S<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1543-3080
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -