Trends and determinants of active school travel among Australian secondary school students: national cross-sectional data from 2009 to 2018

Temitope Adepoyibi; Helen Dixon; Heather Gidding; Richard Taylor; Belinda Morley

doi:10.1111/1753-6405.13315

Trends and determinants of active school travel among Australian secondary school students: national cross-sectional data from 2009 to 2018

Aust N Z J Public Health. 2022 Dec;46(6):800-806. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13315. Epub 2022 Oct 19.

Authors

Temitope Adepoyibi¹, Helen Dixon^{2

3

4}, Heather Gidding^{5

6

7

8}, Richard Taylor⁹, Belinda Morley^{2

10}

Affiliations

¹ Prevention Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Victoria.
² Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Victoria.
³ Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria.
⁴ Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Western Australia.
⁵ The University of Sydney Northern Clinical School, New South Wales.
⁶ Women and Babies Research, Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, New South Wales.
⁷ School of Population Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, New South Wales.
⁸ National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, New South Wales.
⁹ Medicine & Health, School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, New South Wales.
¹⁰ Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria.

PMID: 36259752
DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13315

Abstract

Objective: To examine active school travel trends and predictors among Australian secondary school students (aged 12-17) between 2009 and 2018.

Methods: Three cross-sectional surveys (2009-10: N=13,790; 2012-13: N=10,309; and 2018: N=9,102) using a web-based self-report questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to identify differences in active travel (to and/or from school every weekday) between survey years and predictors.

Results: From 2009-10 to 2012-13 to 2018, active travel decreased from 33.6% to 32.3% to 29.5% among females, and from 37.4% to 36.6% to 32.6% among males. Distance, female sex and regional location were associated with a lower likelihood of active travel. Students with pocket money, those who spoke a language other than English at home, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students were more likely to actively travel.

Conclusions: Between 2009-10 and 2018, active school travel among secondary students in Australia declined. Several factors were found to be associated with active travel.

Implications for public health: This is the first national study on active travel trends among secondary students in Australia. The recent decline requires action given the increasing prevalence of overweight and climate change.

Keywords: Australia; active transport; active travel; adolescents; school.

MeSH terms

Australia / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander*
Schools*
Students