Exploring built environment and other correlates of children's independent mobility

[Truncated abstract] At a time of decreasing physical activity and alarming childhood obesity levels, declining levels of children's independent mobility (IM) and neighbourhood exploration gives rise to concern. However, there is limited evidence to guide the development of effective programs and interventions aimed at encouraging children's IM. The Children's Independent Mobility (CIM) study sought to explore factors influencing 10-12 year-old children's IM, local destinations walked and/ or cycled to by children, and their activity space (AS), particularly characteristics of the subjective and objective built environment. In this study, IM refers to the child's ability to walk or cycle to local neighbourhood destinations without adult supervision. Moreover AS is defined as a child’s interaction with their neighbourhood, defined by the area (km2) over which they travel. The CIM study was part of the larger TRavel Environments and Kids (TREK) project, a cross-sectional study designed to assess the impact of the built environment on the active transport patterns of 10-12 year-old children attending low and high walkable government primary schools across metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. In 2007, children (n=1480) completed a questionnaire and wore a pedometer for seven days. Their parents also completed a survey (n=1314). In addition, children marked the destinations they walked or cycled to on a map during a guided mapping activity (n=1280). Theoretical frameworks specific to children’s IM and AS are rare, with few studies embracing the complex interdependencies between the child, family, built and social environments. A conceptual framework specific to children's IM and AS was developed based on previous literature.