Supporting active school travel: a qualitative analysis of implementing a regional safe routes to school program

Buttazzoni, Adrian N.; Coen, Stephanie E.; Gilliland, Jason A.

Abstract

Physical inactivity among children is a significant public health concern. Active school travel (AST) methods, such as walking and wheeling to school, can be a valuable way to increase children's levels of daily physical activity. In Canada, Active and Safe Routes to School (ASRTS), a national health promotion initiative, has led the campaign for AST through its flagship school travel plan (STP) program. At present little is known about the on-the-ground implementation processes that impede or facilitate the success of STPs. Through a thematic analysis of 18 interviews with STP facilitators and 4 focus groups with the larger STP committees, our study evaluates the factors shaping the functioning of STP interventions at ten elementary schools participating in a regional ASRTS program in Southwestern Ontario. Our analysis yielded six themes that have implications for STP implementation and sustainability: 1) accounting for school context; 2) establishing committee capacity and leadership; 3) supporting STP action; 4) responsiveness to external and internal barriers; 5) engaging schools at the grassroots level; and 6) building future champions. We draw from Lewin's Field Theory and discuss the forces affecting STP committees to frame our findings in a way that can be discussed to support the building of efficient, effective, and viable AST intervention environments.

Citation

Buttazzoni, A. N., Coen, S. E., & Gilliland, J. A. (2018). Supporting active school travel: a qualitative analysis of implementing a regional safe routes to school program. Social Science and Medicine, 212, 181-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.032

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 18, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 20, 2018
• Publication Date: Sep 30, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 22, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 21, 2019
• Journal: Social Science and Medicine
• Print ISSN: 0277-9536
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-5347
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 212
• Pages: 181-190
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.032
• Keywords: Canada; Active school travel; Children's health; Field theory; Organizational change
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1485218
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953618303848?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Supporting active school travel: A qualitative analysis of implementing a regional safe routes to school program; Journal Title: Social Science & Medicine; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.032; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.