Perinatal & Pediatric
Assessing the Impact of Environmental Factors on the Prevalence and Safety of Children’s Active School Transportation Juan Garcia* Juan Garcia Zoabe Hafeez Christopher Kulesza Augusto César F. De Moraes
Background: In the U.S., childhood obesity is notably prevalent in lower-income Black and Hispanic families, linked to lifestyle and environmental factors. This study examines how active commutes to school, like walking or biking, impact children’s BMI and weight management. We hypothesize that these active commutes can significantly reduce obesity in these demographics in Houston school-children.
Methods: The Houston Independent School District Child Health Study was a multi-site volunteer-administered survey by the Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University encompassing students from 14 high schools from September 2018 through April 2019. The survey contained 48 questions, including form of transportation to school, neighborhood characteristics, health information, age grade, sex, race, and language spoken at home. We tested the association by chi-squared test performed for all analyses with an α= 5% to determine a significant association.
Results: A total of 8868 responses were analyzed. 76% identified as Hispanic, 49% were female, 29% were in 9th grade, and 61% of households spoke Spanish primarily. 11% of respondents reported using ATS as their primary form of commute with 74% reporting a non-active form of transport. Males, African Americans, and Caucasian children were statistically more likely to commute to school actively when compared to their counterparts. These students who biked or walked to school were also more likely to state that their neighborhood (15%) and commute (16%) were unsafe (α < 5%). Regarding health conditions (diabetes, weight problems, high blood pressure), no statistically significant difference was found between students who used ATS and those who didn’t.
Conclusion: In examining the health impacts of active school transportation (ATS), such as biking or walking, our study found no significant health differences between ATS users and non-users. Notably, a significant number of ATS users expressed safety concerns regarding their neighborhoods and commute routes.