Introduction

Evidence shows there is a clear link between active travel to school and children's physical activity levels. Active school travel (AST) in New Zealand has declined while car travel to school has increased. The aim of this research is to understand the factors related to travel mode to school from the perspectives of children, their parents and school representatives, through the evaluation of a shared path in Whangārei, New Zealand.

Methods

Children, their parents and school representatives were recruited through four schools located close to a new shared path intervention. Children's mode of travel to school before and after the construction of the new shared path was measured using repeat hands-up surveys. The study was conducted using a child-centred approach. 13 semi-structured focus groups with children (8–12 years old), phones interviews with 35 parents, and face-to-face interviews with four school representatives were conducted. Quantitative data were described descriptively and qualitative data were analysed using inductive and deductive thematic analysis based on the Kids-PoND framework.

Results

Three out of four schools surveyed reported small but promising increases in the proportion of AST from pre to post shared path intervention. Triangulation of qualitative data from children, parents and school representatives' revealed a number of factors related to children's mode of travel to school, including: convenience, safety (traffic and ‘stranger danger’), fun, health benefits, social environment, weather and environment. All groups also gave a number of suggestions to improve the accessibility, utility and safety of the new shared path.

Conclusion

Important insights into why new infrastructure may or may not be successful at enabling AST can be garnered from understanding child, parent and school representatives’ perspectives. Our findings have implications for urban and town planners, AST policy makers and public health.

中文翻译：

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“我会在上面涂上彩虹和独角兽”：了解孩子们在学校旅行的行为以及一条新共享道路的影响

介绍

证据表明，积极的上学旅行与儿童的身体活动水平之间存在明显的联系。新西兰的主动上学旅行（AST）有所减少，而上学的汽车旅行却有所增加。这项研究的目的是通过评估新西兰旺阿雷的一条共同道路，从儿童，他们的父母和学校代表的角度了解与学校出行方式有关的因素。

方法

孩子，他们的父母和学校代表是通过四所学校进行招募的，这些学校靠近新的共享道路干预。使用重复的动手调查来测量在新建共享路径之前和之后儿童的上学方式。该研究使用以儿童为中心的方法进行。进行了13个带孩子（8至12岁）的半结构化焦点小组，对35名父母的电话采访以及对4名学校代表的面对面采访。描述性描述定量数据，并使用基于Kids-PoND框架的归纳和演绎主题分析对定性数据进行分析。

结果

在接受调查的四所学校中，有三分之三报告说，从共享路径干预之前到共享路径干预后，AST的比例都有小幅提高，但很有希望。对来自儿童，父母和学校代表的定性数据的三角剖分揭示了许多与儿童上学旅行方式有关的因素，包括：便利性，安全性（交通和“陌生危险”），娱乐，健康益处，社会环境，天气和环境。所有小组还提出了一些建议，以改善新共享路径的可访问性，实用性和安全性。

结论

从理解儿童，家长和学校代表的观点中，可以获得关于为什么新的基础架构能否成功实现AST的重要见解。我们的发现对城市和城镇规划者，AST政策制定者和公共卫生有影响。