Commonly employed behaviour change techniques within successful interventions included goals and planning , feedback and monitoring , social support and repetition and substitution .
Conclusions Walking interventions , particularly those conducted in the school environment , have the potential to increase PA in children and adolescents .
Conclusions on which interventions most effectively increased walking behaviours in this population were hindered by the limited number of identified interventions and the short duration of interventions evaluated .
Background  Physical activity ( PA ) levels decline as children move into adolescence , with this decline more notable in girls .
As a consequence , many young people are failing to meet current PA guidelines .
Walking has been a cornerstone of PA promotion in adults and may provide an effective means of increasing PA levels among younger people .
Objective Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of interventions aim ed at promoting increased levels of walking  among children and adolescents .
Pilot evaluation of a walking school bus program in a low-income, urban community
Background To evaluate the impact of a walking school bus ( WSB ) program on student transport in a low-income , urban neighborhood . Methods The design was a controlled , quasi-experimental trial with consecutive cross-sectional assessment s. The setting was three urban , socioeconomically disadvantaged , public elementary schools ( 1 intervention vs. 2 controls ) in Seattle , Washington , USA . Participants were ethnically diverse students in kindergarten-5th grade ( aged 5–11 years ) . The intervention was a WSB program consisting of a part-time WSB coordinator and parent volunteers . Students ' method of transportation to school was assessed by a classroom survey at baseline and one-year follow-up . The Pearson Chi-squared test compared students transported to school at the intervention versus control schools at each time point . Due to multiple testing , we calculated adjusted p-values using the Ryan-Holm stepdown Bonferroni procedure . McNemar 's test was used to examine the change from baseline to 12-month follow-up for walking versus all other forms of school transport at the intervention or control schools . Results At baseline , the proportions of students ( n = 653 ) walking to the intervention ( 20 % + /- 2 % ) or control schools ( 15 % + /- 2 % ) did not differ ( p = 0.39 ) . At 12-month follow up , higher proportions of students ( n = 643 , p = 0.001 ) ) walked to the intervention ( 25 % + /- 2 % ) versus the control schools ( 7 % + /- 1 % ) . No significant changes were noted in the proportion of students riding in a car or taking the school bus at baseline or 12-month follow up ( all p > 0.05 ) . Comparing baseline to 12-month follow up , the numbers of students who walked to the intervention school increased while the numbers of students who used the other forms of transport did not change ( p < 0.0001 ) . In contrast , the numbers of students who walked to the control schools decreased while the numbers of students who used the other forms of transport did not change ( p < 0.0001 ) . Conclusion A WSB program is a promising intervention among urban , low-income elementary school students that may promote favorable changes toward active transport to school . Trial Registration Clinical Trials.gov
Commonly employed behaviour change techniques within successful interventions included goals and planning , feedback and monitoring , social support and repetition and substitution .
Conclusions Walking interventions , particularly those conducted in the school environment , have the potential to increase PA in children and adolescents .
Conclusions on which interventions most effectively increased walking behaviours in this population were hindered by the limited number of identified interventions and the short duration of interventions evaluated .
Background  Physical activity ( PA ) levels decline as children move into adolescence , with this decline more notable in girls .
As a consequence , many young people are failing to meet current PA guidelines .
Walking has been a cornerstone of PA promotion in adults and may provide an effective means of increasing PA levels among younger people .
Objective Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of interventions aim ed at promoting increased levels of walking  among children and adolescents .