Walking School Bus
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
The Walking School Bus is a program in which children walk to school as a group, led by parents or another adult. Students are picked up in front of their home or at a designated stop. Children and their parents can choose when they participate, and may choose to do so up to five days a week. Funding for the study to evaluate the Walking School Bus program, which also provided staff to walk with the children, came from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, the Harris County Hospital District Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Goal / Mission
The goal of the "walking school bus" is to increase children's rates of active commuting to school and physical activity.
Results / Accomplishments
An evaluation of the program found that among 4th graders who participated in a pilot program of the "walking school bus" for four to five weeks, the percent who actively commute to school increased from 23.8% to 54%. Active commuting among children who did not participate decreased from 40.2% to 32.6%. Participating children also increased their minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity from 46.6 to 48.8; children who did not participate decreased from 46.1 to 41.3. The differences between children who participated and children who did not participate were significant (p<0.05). While previous research indicates that active commuting to school naturally declines as the school-year progresses, the evaluation of the Walking School Bus program concluded that the program improved children's active commuting to school and daily activity.
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
Primary Contact
Jason A. Mendoza, M.D., M.P.H.
Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX 77030
713-798-6767
jamendoz@bcm.edu
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/
Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX 77030
713-798-6767
jamendoz@bcm.edu
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Physical Activity
Community / Transportation
Health / Physical Activity
Community / Transportation
Organization(s)
Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
Date of publication
9/1/2011
Date of implementation
2011
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Houston, TX
For more details
Target Audience
Children