Evaluation of a Walking School Bus Program

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

838 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2012-12-31

Study Completion Date

2016-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Just two generations ago, walking or bicycling to school was the norm for a substantial number of US children, e.g. 48% of children walked or biked to school in 1969 versus only 13% in 2009. This decline occurred in the same timeframe as the childhood obesity epidemic, which is at record high levels in the US and affects low-income and ethnic minority children the most. This project will test "the walking school bus" (WSB) program, in which children walk to and from school with adults, and its impact on low-income, ethnic minority children's walking to school, physical activity, and risk for obesity. Ultimately, this line of research has the potential to provide a low-cost, easy to disseminate program to reduce risk of obesity and cancer for at-risk children.

The investigators Specific Aims among 3rd-5th grade children include:

SA1) To recruit 770 child-parent dyads from 22 elementary schools over 4 years and conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a WSB program on children's walking to school, physical activity, and BMI z-score over a school-year SA2) To collect and analyze data on individual-, school-, and macro-level influences on changes to children's walking to school resulting from the WSB program

The Primary Hypotheses to be tested, in comparison to control children, include:

H1) The WSB program will increase children's walking to school over a school-year.

H1a) Parents' outcome expectations and self-efficacy will mediate the relationship between the WSB and changes to children's walking to school.

H1b) Walkability, safety, and acculturation will moderate changes to children's walking to school.

H2) The WSB program will increase children's physical activity and decrease BMI z-scores over a school-year.

H3) The WSB program will increase school-level pedestrian safety behaviors over a school-year.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

Pilot Evaluation of a Walking School Bus Program

NCT00758615

Obesity Physical Activity Pedestrian Safety +1 more

COMPLETED NA

Pedestrian Behavior Following Implementation of a Walking School Bus

NCT00402701

Obesity

COMPLETED NA

Pilot and Feasibility Bicycle Train Study

NCT02006186

Physical Activity

COMPLETED NA

Walking to School Supports

NCT04089020

Health Behavior

COMPLETED NA

Walk to School and Physical Activity

NCT00186134

Physical Activity

COMPLETED PHASE2

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Obesity Physical Activity

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Walking school bus

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Walking School Bus

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children will have the option of walking to and/or from school with study staff who are trained in Safe Routes to School methods.

Usual care

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Walking School Bus

Children will have the option of walking to and/or from school with study staff who are trained in Safe Routes to School methods.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* physically capable of walking to and from school
* live within 1-mile of school or parents agree to regularly drop off children within 1-mile of school
* attend a study school and enrolled in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade