Stepping It Up: Walking Behaviors in Children Transitioning from 5th to 7th Grade

Sharon E. Taverno Ross, Morgan N. Clennin, Marsha Dowda, Natalie Colabianchi and Russell R. Pate
Additional contact information
Sharon E. Taverno Ross: Department of Health and Physical Activity, University of Pittsburgh, 32 Oak Hill Court, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
Morgan N. Clennin: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Marsha Dowda: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Natalie Colabianchi: Department of Health and Fitness, University of Michigan, 1402 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Russell R. Pate: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-9

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to (1) describe children’s walking behaviors in 5th to 7th grade and change over time and (2) examine associations between walking behaviors and Walk Score ® . Participants consisted of n = 586 students from the Transitions and Activity Changes in Kids (TRACK) Study. Children reported any walking behavior (e.g., exercise and transportation) over the past five days. Walk Score was calculated based on children’s home address. Descriptive statistics summarized walking behaviors by gender and time, and repeated measure mixed models examined the relationship between walking behaviors and Walk Score. Approximately 46.8% and 19.2% of 5th grade children reported walking for exercise and transportation, respectively, and these percentages declined through 7th grade. Girls reported higher levels of total walking behavior and walking for exercise than boys ( p < 0.001). Girls with a higher Walk Score had 63% higher odds of reporting walking for transportation than girls with a lower Walk Score (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.62). Walking behaviors among children were infrequent with significant declines over time, and of the nine associations examined with Walk Score, only one was significant. Efforts should prioritize frequent walking behavior and community design to increase children’s physical activity.

Keywords: school-aged; physical activity; walking; transportation; walkability; Walk Score ®; child (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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