Walkability or parental safety perceptions influence children's active commuting to school: a systematic review

Abstract

Walkability is a concept designed to evaluate to what extent the built environment promotes or is pedestrian-friendly. Regarding urban mobility, walking and biking are widely recognised in scientific and political circles, with active school travel as a target to encourage physical activity, with short and long-term positive effects on children's autonomy, free air pollution, health, economy, and society. However, it requires supportive environments that safely accommodate children's activities. In this regard, walkability indices for streetscape and school neighbourhoods are growing, but just a few consider parental safety perceptions and children's specific characteristics. This systematic review offers a comprehensive overview of the existing evidence, examining and summarising quantitative and qualitative studies. The evidence presented in this review is clear and convincing, demonstrating the need for further research in this area. The updated information provided in this review highlights the link between the urban environment, parental fear of traffic, children's travel behaviour to school and outdoor independent play. We used the PRISMA method, and from the initial analysis, we retained 37 from 1479 papers. The results show different research methods, namely audit tools, GIS-based tools, GPS tracking, surveys, and just a few using interviews or focus groups. Studies results highlight geographical differences. Social and environmental diversities apply to different solutions for promoting active commuting to school. Distance and good infrastructures are critical regarding environmental perceptions and measures but not exclusive. Parental fear of traffic and cultural background may influence results. These results suggest the importance of including qualitative approaches when evaluating existing policy approaches and designing new policy tools, regulations, or other interventions.