Factors Associated with Walking to School Within a Feasible Walking Distance: The Key Role of Perceived Attractiveness of Walking Route.

backgroundWalking to school contributes to children's health and development, yet its prevalence has declined in recent decades. Identifying factors associated with walking to school is essential for developing effective interventions. This study aimed to determine a context-specific feasible walking distance for children aged 6-10 years in Porto, Portugal, and to examine factors associated with walking to school among children living within this distance.

methodThis cross-sectional study included 596 children. Home-to-school walking distances were calculated using OpenRouteService. Four perceived neighborhood environmental attributes were assessed. Complex samples logistic regression models accounting for clustering within schools were estimated.

resultsA context-specific feasible walking distance of 1400 m was identified. Among children living within this distance, those whose mothers had a medium educational attainment were more likely to walk to school than those whose mothers had a high educational attainment (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.56-4.55). Children living in households without access to a motorized vehicle were also more likely to walk (OR = 5.48, 95% CI = 2.49-12.06). The likelihood of walking decreased with increasing home-to-school distance (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.22-0.47 per 350-m increase). Among the neighborhood environmental attributes, only the presence of interesting to look at while walking was independently associated with walking to school (OR = 6.55, 95% CI = 3.78-11.36).

conclusionBeyond home-to-school distance and household socioeconomic circumstances, perceived attractiveness of the walking route was independently associated with walking to school. Enhancing school route attractiveness may complement existing strategies to promote walking to school.