Active school transport in an urban environment:prevalence and perceived barriers

BACKGROUND: Active school transport (AST) can increase children’s and adolescents’ physical activity. The proportion of children and adolescents who engage in AST has declined internationally in recent decades. This study examines the prevalence, correlates, and perceived barriers to AST in the city of Leipzig, Germany. METHODS: The study sample includes 1070 participants, 364 children and 706 adolescents, aged between 6 and 18 years, as well as their parents. The parents as well as adolescents age 10 and above completed questionnaires concerning sociodemographic variables, means of transport/AST and perceived barriers to AST. The distance between home and school was calculated as the network distance from the home to school address using the Dijkstra algorithm. Based on these data, logistic models were fitted in a two-step variable selection process, using AST as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Approximately half of the children (59%) and adolescents (51%) engaged in AST. The prevalence of AST exhibited a negative correlation with age (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9–0.99, p = 0.015) and did not significantly differ by gender (children: OR(girls) = 1.5, CI = 0.95–2.25, p = 0.075, adolescents: OR(girls) = 1.01, CI = 0.75–1.37, p = 0.924). A high socioeconomic status was positively correlated to AST on the morning trip (OR = 1.7, CI 1.3–2.21, p < 0.01) but negatively on the afternoon trip (OR = 0.7, CI = 0.53–0.9, p < 0.01) in the summer. Common barriers for children (from their parents’ perspective) and for adolescents (from their own and their parents’ perspective) were distance and a heavy load to carry. The parents of adolescents did not perceive any other specific barriers as a serious impediment. Further significant barriers perceived by the younger children’s parents were adults giving a lift on the way to other errands, no other children to walk or cycle with, and too much traffic. Too much traffic was also a significant barrier for adolescents, as were taking too much time and bad weather conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Future interventions promoting AST in an urban environment should be guided by the identified perceived barriers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: LIFE Child has been retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02550236). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-15464-7.