Table 1 Summary of Walking to School Findings
From: Immigrant families' perceptions on walking to school and school breakfast: a focus group study
Domains | Themes and sub-themes |
|---|---|
Current practices of school transportation | • Participants–a majority had walked to school in their home country • Participants' children–few walked to school; most driven or bused |
Benefits of walking | • Often learned from walking in home country • Physical health benefits including maintaining weight and for preventing heart disease, blood pressure, and diabetes • Mental health benefits–helps children wake up, good for emotions • Being outside in nature, breathing fresh air, seeing natural world • Spending quality time with children, especially to slow down & talk |
Barriers to walking to school | Fear Interpersonal • Fear of abductions; national media stories cited • Bullying, homeless people, gangs • Parents do not know and trust neighbors due to language barriers Traffic • Heavy traffic, fast cars • Unsafe street crossings, lack of crossing guards • Lack of walking paths Feasibility Distance/Route • Many children not living near neighborhood schools • Route too far and/or difficult (e.g. hilly) Lack of time for parents to supervise walking • Both parents working (Latino, Vietnamese) • Many families too large for all children to walk together (Somali) • More convenient to drop children off on way to work • Must use child care before/after school • Take bus to school further away to have earlier pick-up time for working parents Weather/darkness • Rain, darkness and cold, especially in winter months Norms • Lack of necessity to walk; children not accustomed to it |
Approaches to improve walking to school | Street safety • Improve safety on the route through cross-walks, crossing guards • More safety patrols/police in the neighborhoods • Teach children safety Facilitate adult-supervised walking (e.g. Walking School Bus) • Facilitate adults/parents meeting to organize walking school bus • Involve school staff as walking group leaders • More walking after school Offer more options for children of working parents • On-site before school child care or supervised walking/activity time |