The Environmental Barriers to Active School Travel Among Private School Students in Dubai
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Date
2021-09
Authors
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Publisher
The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
Childhood obesity rates are increasing, partly caused by a deficiency of physical activity (PA).
Active school travel (AST) is one way to counteract this, but its rates are globally dropping.
Little is known about AST situation in the Middle Eastern countries generally and the UAE in
particular. This study investigates the influence of different environmental factors on the decision
between active and inactive school travel modes, and identifies the built environment barriers to
AST among private school students in the Dubai emirate. Using a quantitative research approach,
parents of 408 students attending different private schools in Dubai completed an online
questionnaire. The statistical analysis determined significant correlation between school travel
behaviours and most of the suggested influencing factors including distance, time length of the
school trip, built environment features, parent perceptions of the built environment features,
weather conditions, and parent perceptions of AST. Distance is the most influencing factor on
the travel mode choices, followed by weather and time length of the trip to/from school. Among
built environment features, street connectivity and traffic calming measures are significant
factors. Since most of the private school students in Dubai are living beyond the walking distance
threshold, it may be concluded that distance between home and school is the main barrier to
AST.
Description
Keywords
environmental barriers, private schools, United Arab Emirates (UAE), childhood obesity, Active School Travel (AST)