Scheduled for Research Consortium Poster Social: Representative Research in HPERD, Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Reseach Consortium Poster Sessions


Step Counts and Mode of School Transportation of Inner City Youth

Tyler G. Johnson1, Timothy A. Brusseau Jr.2, Paul W. Darst3 and Pamela H. Kulinna3, (1)Boise State University, Boise, ID, (2)College at Brockport, Tempe, AZ, (3)Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ

Research has described the daily step counts (DSC) of youth. Boys accumulate more DSC than girls, and it appears that DSC decline with increasing age. Yet much of this research has examined predominately white or middle class youth living in suburban areas. To date little research has examined the DSC of inner-city youth and the impact of mode of school transportation on DSC. The purpose for this study was to describe the DSC via pedometry (Walk4Life LS 2505) of inner-city youth ages 10-14 and analyze how mode of transportation to and from school influenced DSC. Participants were 385 African American (55%) and Hispanic (45%) youth (n=230 girls, n=155 boys) in grades 5-8. Participants wore a sealed pedometer for 6 consecutive days (excluding weekends). A one-way ANOVA suggested there were no significant differences between students with 2-3 days (n=77) and 4-6 days (n=308) of data. Accordingly, all mean scores were included in data analyses. Analyses included descriptive statistics and MANOVA to investigate differences in DSC by gender and mode of transportation (walking, automobile, school bus) to and from school. The grand mean for DSC was 10919 steps (sd=3925). MANOVA results indicated there was a significant gender effect (F(1, 379)=67.92, p<.001; h =.15), and mode of transportation effect (F(2, 379)=17.14, p<.001; h =.08), with no interaction. Boys (m=12786, sd=4067) took more steps than girls (m=9661, sd=3281). A post hoc test for mode of transportation to and from school suggested that students who walked to school (m=12500, sd=4252) took significantly more DSC than students who bused to school (m=10206, sd=3853) and who rode in a car to school (m=10047, sd=3069). This study is contributory because it represents the first DSC data available for African American and Hispanic youth and the impact of mode of school transportation on DSC. It appears that African American and Hispanic youth living in inner-cities that walk to and from school accumulate more DSC than students who commute to and from school via motorized transportation. Future research with similar populations should investigate the impact of active commuting (including cycling) to and from school on youth physical activity participation.
Keyword(s): exercise/fitness/physical activity

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