Aim: To estimate the frequency of walking to school among primary school children and examine associated factors.
Method: In-class survey of Years 1-6 children attending Dunedin primary schools, November 2004, and a take home, written questionnaire for parents and caregivers.
Results: On study day, 34.5% of children walked to school and 36.8% intended to walk home. Overall, 1157 completed caregiver questionnaires were returned (68%) indicating that 47.5% of children walked to or from school less than three times per week. The strongest predictor of walking was proximity to school (<1 km OR 29.3, 1-2 km OR 7.7, 2-3 km OR 3.0, >3 km OR 1.00). Other predictors were not having a car in the household (OR 10.9), attending a (low socioeconomic) decile 2 to 4 school (2.35), having three or more adults in the household (1.85), being in a higher school year (1.72), having non-New Zealand European ethnicity (>1.41), having a parent who had walked to school (1.35), and being male (1.33).
Conclusions: This study established a baseline for the percentage of Dunedin primary school children walking to school. Key potentially modifiable predictors of walking were proximity to school and not having a car in the household. These findings have implications for health, transport and educational policies.