Call for safer school travel routes

Kiwi kids need to move more and sit behind screens less, and they need safer ways to walk and cycle to school, according to a global assessment of physical activity in children and adolescents, published late last year.

The Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance compared 57 countries from six continents to assess global levels and trends in child and adolescent physical activity.

New Zealand finished with an overall grade for physical activity of C+, recognising that only about half of the country’s children are achieving the recommended level of physical activity.

Regular physical activity helps children and adolescents improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease.

But the Alliance report says young people worldwide have formed new habits in response to the new normal – a screen-centric indoor living society, exacerbated by Covid-19, global conflicts and severe weather associated with climate change.

Aotearoa scored better than the global average primarily because of the high rates of participation in organised sports and physical activity.

However, NZ had one of the lowest grades for active transport (D), with only five countries below it, reflecting a trend of low and declining active transport over the last decade. Denmark and Japan topped the table for active transportation. Denmark noted its comprehensive networks of cycle lanes and its government’s persistent efforts to implement safe routes to school as key contributors to its success.

Research in Aotearoa with children, schools and whānau/families consistently showed the need for improved traffic safety to facilitate active transport.

The report identified that there was a dearth of connected and safe cycling infrastructure across the country, resulting in extremely low rates of biking.

In earlier research, it was identified that safe road crossings should be a priority and more signalised crossings and raised zebra crossings were needed to slow traffic down.

Initiatives to improve driver behaviour were also essential – speeding, inattentive driving, red-light running and failing to stop at pedestrian crossings were all common.

Unsurprisingly, overall physical activity was also lower for those in school years 11 to 13, at 47 per cent (C-), compared with around 60 per cent for their younger counterparts.

It was noted that considering physical inactivity tracks from adolescence into adulthood, there was an urgent need to facilitate activity in ways that work for adolescents.