Adolescents’ Travel to School Patterns

in Urban, Semi-Urban and Rural Settings:

Insights from the BEATS Research Programme

Associate Professor Sandy Mandic

and the BEATS Study Research Team

Active Living Laboratory

University of Otago

Email: sandra.mandic@otago.ac.nz

OERC Symposium | 23 November 2018

BEATS Research Team 2017-2018 Collaborators

A/Prof Sandra

Mandic

(Otago)

Dr Christina

Ergler

(Otago)

Dr Debbie

Hopkins

(Oxford)

A/Prof Antoni

Moore

(Otago)

Dr Susan

Sandretto

(Otago)

A/Prof Melody

Oliver

(Auckland)

Prof John

Spence

(Alberta)

Dr Enrique

García

(Limerick)

A/Prof Palma

Chillón

(Granada)

Dr Kirsten

Coppell

(Otago)

Dr Anna

Rolleston

(Auckland)

Mrs

Charlotte

Flaherty

Mr Gordon

Wilson

(DSSP)

Advisory Board

A/Prof Janet

Stephenson

(Otago)

A/Prof

Michael Keall

(Otago)

…Mr Nick

Sargent

(DCC)

Mr Graeme

Rice

(NZTA)

Mr Gavin

Kidd

(DSSP)

Authors

BEATS Rural Study (2018): Research Students and Staff

Volunteer

Kimberley

King

Angela

Findlay

Charlotte

Flaherty

Ann-Maree

Fox

Aprille

Mincher

Research Assistants

Fanny

Monnett

Olivia

Eyles

Dr Judith

Rodda

PhD

student

Long

Chen

Jessica

Calverley

Tessa

PocockMaster’s

student Honours students

Chris

TaitBrittany

White

Internship students

Roman

Keller (Switzerland)

Tessa

Porskamp(The Neatherlands)

Mike

Jensen (Canada)

Authors

Physical Activity and Weight Status

in New Zealand Adolescents

National Survey of Children and Young People Physical Activity

and Dietary Behaviour in NZ. 2007/08

Age (years)

Me

etin

g P

A g

uid

elin

es (%

)Underweight3.2%

Healthy weight69.6%

Overweight20.5%

Obese6.8%

Source: BEATS Study (2014/2015)

1,300 Dunedin adolescents

(measured heights and weights)

Mandic et al. Am J Health Behav.

2017;41(3):266-275

Ministry of Transport. (2015). 25 years

of New Zealand travel: New Zealand

household travel 1989–2014.

Wellington: Ministry of Transport.

1989/1990 2010-2014

2.5 million

vehicles

3.4 million

vehicles

72% car travel 78% car travel

755 deaths 294 deaths

Travel to school:

21% driven

26% walking

19% cycling

Travel to school:

32% driven

27% walking

3% cycling

1h/day travel

(28 min driving)

(10 min walking)

1h/day travel

(32 min driving)

(8 min walking)

Rationale

• Transitioning from the car-dominated transport system towards more sustainable active transport is necessary to address climate change and prevalent non-communicable health concerns.

• Encouraging active transport to school has the potential to develop into a life-long, environmentally sustainable, economical practice.

• Adolescents’ transport to school has been extensively studied in urban centres but data are lacking in rural areas.

• Travel to school is context-specific and differences between rural and urban environments are expected.

Travel

behaviour

Preferences

Constraints

Cost

Personal factors

Environmental

factors

Family factors

Destination

characteristics

Enjoyment

Health

Environment

Discomfort

Safe routes

Factors related to

transport in generalFactors specific to

active transport

Adapted from Mandic S et al. Journal of Transport and Health. 2017; 4:294-304

Built Environment and Transport Behaviour

www.designedtomove.org

• Walkable community design

• Pedestrian & bicycle facilities

• Perceived environment: accessibility and convenience

• Investigates:

– transport to school habits,

– the neighbourhood environment and

– physical activity habits

in Otago adolescents. www.otago.ac.nz/beats

Mandic S et al. BMJ Open. 2016; 6:e011196

BEATS Research Programme at Otago

Exercise

SciencePublic

HealthTransport

Built

EnvironmentEducation

Partnerships: City Council CommunityAcademia Schools

Disciplines &

impact areas:

BEATS Research Programme Framework:

Ecological Model for Active Transport

Adapted from

Sallis JF et al.

Circulation.

2012;125:729-

737

Individual

Social/Cultural

Environment

Built Environment

Policy Environment

Mandic S et al.

BMJ Open.

2016;

6:e011196

Research Methodology

Survey Maps; GIS Analysis Physical

Activity

Focus groups

Adolescents & Parents

Adolescents

Anthropometry

School bag weight

Adolescents, Parents, Teachers

Interviews

School

Principals

Mandic S et al. BMJ Open. 2016; 6:e011196

BEATS Research Programme (2013-2022)

URBAN RURAL

BEATS Study

(2014-2017)

(Dunedin)

BEATS Rural

Study

(2018-2019)

(Rural Otago)

BEATS Natural

Experiment

(2019-2022)

(Dunedin)

11 Schools

1014 Adolescents

75+ Parents

2 Principals

12 Schools

1780 Adolescents

355 Parents

14 Teachers

12 Principals

Urban versus rural

BEATS Cultural

Study (2018-2019)

Exercise

SciencePublic

HealthTransport

Built

EnvironmentEducation

Partnerships: City Council CommunityAcademia Schools

Disciplines &

impact areas:

BEATS Research Programme (2014-2018)

Dunedin City (2014-2017)

12 Secondary schools

(100% school recruitment rate) 11 Secondary schools

(73% school recruitment rate)

Dunedin

Otago Region(2018)

BEATS Study BEATS Rural Study

Otago Secondary Schools Supporting BEATS (23 out of 27 schools; 85%)

Dunedin (2014/15)

(12 out of 12 school)

Rural Otago (2018)

(11 out of 15 school)

Total sample (n=2,656)

Exercise

science

Exp

ert

ise

Geographic

information

science

(GIS)

Children

and health

geographies

Behavioural

medicine;

Research methods

Māori

health

Geographies

of transport

and

mobilities

Education

Public health;

Community

interventions

Sandy

Mandic

Antoni

Moore

Christina

Ergler

Enrique

García John

Spence

Anna

Rolleston

Debbie

Hopkins

Susan

Sandretto

Kirsten

Coppell

Michael

Keall

Biostatistics

Physical activity

and health

BEATS Team 2018: Multidisciplinary Expertise

Advisory Board

Members:

Gavin Kidd,

Gordon Wilson

(Dunedin

Secondary Schools’

Partnership)

Nick Sargent

(Dunedin City

Council)

Greame Rice

(NZ Transport

Agency)

Janet Stephenson

(Centre for

Sustainability)

Frank Edwards

(Māori) and Finau

Taungapeau

(Pacific) community

representatives

Physical

activity

and health

promotion

15 days of data collection in schools

BEATS Rural Study (2018)

17 research staff

753 hours of research-person hours at schools

4,271 km driven

(more than twice the length of New Zealand)

BEATS Rural Study (2018)

Transport to School Patterns across OtagoTotal sample

(n=2,656)

15.2%

55.0%

29.8%

Active

Transport

Motorised +

Active

Transport

Motorised Transport

No significant difference across

urbanisation settings

Mandic S et al. 2018 (abstract). ISBNPA 2019 (submitted)

Among adolescents ineligible for

subsidised school bus

(living within 4.8 km from school)

38.8%47.9%

58.5%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Main urbancentre

Semi urbanareas

Ruralsettlements

Active transport to school

p<0.001

89.9% liked how they travel

to school

78.9% had a bicycle at home

75.8% had 2+ vehicles at home

Transport to School Habits across Otago

Source: BEATS Study and

BEATS Rural Study (n=2,656)

Optimal distance for

walking to school

≤ 2,25 km

Sensitivity: 85%

Specificity: 86%

AUC: 93%

89.1% 11.8%

Dis

tance (

km

)

3.7 3.2

6.2

0

2

4

6

8

10

Main urbancentre

Semi urbanarea

Ruralsettlements

Median distance to school

p=0.037

Significant difference across

urbanisation settings

Distance to school

Pro

babili

ty o

f w

alk

ing

to s

chool

Pocock et al. Health and Place (in press)

(≤4.8 km)

39%55% 50% 46% 45% 41% 39% 38% 35% 30% 30% 26%

17%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

URB Bay Que Log Tai JMc Col Kin OB StH Kai Kav OG

Rates of Active Transport to School(Living ≤4.8 from school; boarders excluded)

*Most of the time

/ All of the time

Urban (n=897)

48%62%

51% 45% 42% 41% 35%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

S-URB Cro Tok MtA WG SO StK

Semi-urban (n=457)

59% 65% 62% 60% 56% 50%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

RUR BMC Law Cai Rox Man

Rural (n=81)

1% 5% 3% 3% 3% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

URB Tai Log Kai Kin OB Bay Col JMc Kav OG Que StH

Rates of Cycling to School(living ≤4.8 from school; boarders and mixed modes excluded)

Urban (n=897)

16%32%

22%6% 3% 2% 0%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

S-URB MtA Cro Tok StK SO WG

Semi-urban (n=457)

10% 15% 12% 11%0% 0%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

RUR Law BMC Rox Man Cai

Rural (n=81)

WanakaCromwell

Perceptions of Distance to School(among adolescents living ≤4.8 km from school)

Mandic S et al. 2018 (abstract). ISBNPA 2019 (submitted)

28%

8%0%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Main urbancentre

Semi urbanareas

Ruralsettlements

It is too far

to walk to school.

37%

20%12%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Main urbancentre

Semi urbanareas

Ruralsettlements

It is too far

to cycle to school.

*p<0.001 *p<0.001

Perceptions of Safety(among adolescents living ≤4.8 km from school)

Mandic S et al. 2018 (abstract). ISBNPA 2019 (submitted)

It is unsafe

to walk to school.

12% 9% 0%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Urban Semi-urban

Rural

It is unsafe to

cycle to school.

*p<0.006

Adolescents’

concerns

Parental

concerns

(reported by

adolescents)13% 8% 3%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Urban Semi-urban

Rural

40%23%

5%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Urban Semi-urban

Rural

31%15%

4%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Urban Semi-urban

Rural

*p<0.006 *p<0.001

*p<0.001

Transport to School across Otago: Conclusions

Although less urbanised areas had higher rates of active

transport if adolescents resided ≤4.8 km from school,

motorised transport dominated adolescents’ travel to

school across Otago.

Distance and safety concerns were less common in rural

and less urbanised areas compared to urban settings

Different interventions and approaches

to address context-specific barriers

will be required to encourage active transport to school

in both urbanised and rural areas.

Generating important information for key stakeholders for

planning future school-, neighbourhood- and city/town-wide built

environment changes to encourage active transport to school.

Understanding influences of multiple factors will enable the scientific

community, policy makers, regional planners, and health

promoters to address barriers to active transport to school.

BEATS Research Programme Significance

Involvement of the key stakeholders will facilitate the generation of

usable data, relevant to the local context and generalisable to

other areas, and the incorporation of new knowledge into policy

and future initiatives.

2015-2016

www.otago.ac.nz/beats

www.otago.ac.nz/active-livingThank you!