Kernel Density Analysis of Active Transport to School Patterns in Dunedin Adolescents. GeoComputation 2019

Geographical information science (GIS) is widely applied in the fields that analyse human activities, including public healthcare and transport planning. Active transport to school (ATS) is a convenient way for children to achieve the recommended daily physical activity level and develop life-long exercise habits. Understanding the factors that influence children’s use of active transport is essential to inform the design of effective interventions to encourage active transport selection, such as the development pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods and supportive infrastructure.

This research applied geospatial analysis methods to ATS to examine the relationship between ATS and its correlates over space. The results of kernel density estimation (KDE) indicate that gender, attendance at a co-educational school, distance to school and Neighbourhood Deprivation Index along with residential density and intersection density show associations with ATS over space, while body mass index, ethnicity and mixed land use entropy do not. The results of this research could be used as evidence to support future strategies and policies to increase the ATS rate.