Date of Award
2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Geography
Supervisor
Dr Jason Gilliland
Abstract
This study examined environmental influences on a child’s mode of travel between home and school. Students (n=614) from 21 schools throughout London, Ontario, completed a school-based travel survey. A Geographic Information System was used to link survey respondents to data on environmental characteristics around home and school neighbourhoods, and along the probable route to school. Logistic regression analysis tested the influence of environmental factors on mode of travel to and from school. Over 62 percent of students walked/biked to school and 72 percent home from school. The likelihood of actively commuting was associated with shorter trips, residential density, land use mix, gender, sidewalk coverage, vehicular traffic, street tree density, major street crossings, household income, and street connectivity. The findings of this research demonstrate that active travel is associated with certain environmental characteristics, thereby suggesting that school planners should consider such factors when siting or closing schools in order to promote physical activity.
Recommended Citation
Larsen, Kristian, "Identifying influences of social and physical environments on a child’s mode of travel to and from school" (2008). Digitized Theses. 4842.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4842