Travel Patterns to School Among Children With Asthma

Background. Active commuting to school provides regular exercise, which can improve asthma symptoms. Little is known about how children with asthma travel to school. Objective. To identify travel patterns and parental perceptions surrounding mode of travel to school among children with asthma. Methods. Cross-sectional study of 176 children with asthma aged 5 to 15 years. Parents completed questionnaires assessing mode of travel to school, physical activity, asthma control, physician counseling, and factors influencing parental decisions. Data analysis included descriptive and bivariate statistics. Results. Few (16%) children with asthma actively commute to school. Active travelers lived closer to school, and "distance" was the most frequently reported factor influencing a parent's decision regarding travel mode to school. Parents reported few concerns about pollution and little physician counseling on active travel. Conclusion. Few children with asthma actively travel to school. Asthma-specific concerns do not appear to guide parental decisions on travel mode to school.