Examining the Impact of the Walking School Bus With an Agent-Based Model.

COMPARATIVE studies; COMPUTER simulation; CONCEPTUAL structures; ELEMENTARY schools; HEALTH promotion; EVALUATION of medical care; RESEARCH funding; SYSTEMS theory; TRAVEL; WALKING; PREDICTIVE tests; PHYSICAL activity

We used an agent-based model to examine the impact of the walking school bus (WSB) on children’s active travel to school. We identified a synergistic effect of the WSB with other intervention components such as an educational campaign designed to improve attitudes toward active travel to school. Results suggest that to maximize active travel to school, children should arrive on time at “bus stops” to allow faster WSB walking speeds. We also illustrate how an agent-based model can be used to identify the location of routes maximizing the effects of the WSB on active travel. Agent-based models can be used to examine plausible effects of the WSB on active travel to school under various conditions and to identify ways of implementing the WSB that maximize its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]