Happiness in Motion: Emotions, Well-Being, and Active School Travel

This article reports on a pan-Canadian School Travel Planning intervention that promoted active school travel (AST) as a strategy contributing to sustainable happiness. The authors explore the interrelationships between emotion, well-being, and travel mode. They evaluated parent perceptions of their child’s travel mode on well-being, including physical, emotional, community, and environmental types of well-being. Questionnaires were administered to families (n = 5,423) from 76 elementary schools covering variables including demographics (age and sex), school travel measures (mode, distance, accompaniment by an adult, safety, and barriers), and emotions (parent and child). Analysis showed that parents and children who used AST reported more positive emotions and strong connections to dimensions of well-being versus more passive travelers. The authors conclude that, although active school travel has been touted as physically healthy, interventions should also raise awareness of the positive emotional experiences of this transportation mode for children and their parents.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12172
• Authors:
  • Ramanathan, Subha
  • O'Brien, Catherine
  • Faulkner, Guy
  • Stone, Michelle
• Publication Date: 2014-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 516-523
• Serial:
  • Journal of School Health
  • Volume: 84
  • Issue Number: 8
  • Publisher: American School Health Association
  • EISSN: 1746-1561
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1746-1561

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Children; Commuting; Demographics; Emotions; Nonmotorized transportation; Parents; Psychological aspects; School trips
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01546272
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 2 2014 2:03PM