Education Commons^™

Children’S Independent Mobility : Walking To School And Road Safety Knowledge : 8 To 12 Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

Road safety knowledge is essential for children walking to school so they can safely navigate traffic environments. At the same time walking to school increases children’s awareness of their neighbourhood and also has a positive influence on their health and wellbeing.

Parental Neighbourhood Satisfaction : A Snap Shot Of Parents Of 5 – 12 Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

A child-friendly neighbourhood increases children’s confidence to safely negotiate and explore their neighbourhood while enhancing their physical health and wellbeing.

This ‘snap shot’ highlights the extent to which parents of students aged 5 to 12 years living in six Victorian municipalities (3 metropolitan and 3 regional) are satisfied with their neighbourhood. The sample comprised 504 parents. Parents were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with a series of statements about their neighbourhood. The data came from a self-completed survey sent home from school with students. Data was collected in 2010 for VicHealth.

With 10 per cent …

Neighbourhood Satisfaction Among Residents : A Snap Shot Of 60+ Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

Neighbourhood satisfaction is an important component of life satisfaction and is associated with levels of well-being among older residents. Older resident’s satisfaction plays a significant role in influencing their level of engagement and interaction with neighbours and their feeling of safety within their neighbourhood.

This ‘snap shot’ highlights the extent to which residents aged 60 years and over living in six Victorian municipalities (3 metropolitan and 3 regional) felt satisfied and engaged with their neighbourhood. The sample comprised 816 residents drawn from a total sample of 2,313 residents. The data was collected from a self-completed survey distributed as a letterbox …

Children’S Independent Mobility And Dog Ownership : 8 To 12 Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

Many families are now acquiring pets to encourage children, to spend more time in the ‘real’, rather than the ‘virtual’ world. The rising prevalence in the number of children who are overweight or obese is increasing in importance as a public health issue in Australia (McCallum & Gerner, 2005). Walking and physical activity is strongly linked to improved general health and lower risks of obesity and associated health problems. A growing body of research shows that pet ownership has a number of physical health benefits. Studies now associate pets, and particularly dogs with increased levels of physical activity.

Children’S Independent Mobility : Fact Or Fiction: 8 To 12 Year Olds - Worried About Strangers, Catherine Underwood

Children’s Independent Mobility and Active Transport

The rising prevalence in the number of children who are overweight or obese is increasing in importance as a public health issue in Australia. Parental fear as a barrier to children’s independent mobility and physical activity has contributed to the decline in children’s physical activity. Timperio et al. (2004) and Veitch et al. (2006) have reported parents commonly identify ‘stranger danger’ as a barrier to children’s independent mobility within their community. In a recent VicHealth survey it was reported that 63 per cent of participants agreed parents should not let primary school age children move to and from places without …