Open AccessTrends and determinants of active school travel among Australian secondary school students: national cross‐sectional data from 2009 to 2018
Author(s) -
Adepoyibi Temitope,
Dixon Helen,
Gidding Heather,
Taylor Richard,
Morley Belinda
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.13315
Subject(s) - cross sectional study , logistic regression , demography , medicine , geography , sociology , pathology
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.