A Walking School Bus program: impact on physical activity in elementary school children in Columbia, Missouri.

BACKGROUND The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provided Columbia MO with an Active Living by Design (ALbD) grant in 2003 to promote active living in the community. A separate project was funded in 2006 through RWJF's Active Living Research program. PURPOSE To evaluate whether participation in a Walking School Bus (WSB) program increased or decreased active living in elementary school children residing in Columbia, in association with ALbD funding. METHODS Objective measures of physical activity obtained using accelerometers were collected over 7 days in children participating in a WSB program and children in a nonparticipating comparison group. Differences in the percentage of time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise (%MVPA) were compared between groups. RESULTS Children in WSB programs showed no differences in %MVPA compared to children not participating in the WSB; however, when comparing the relationship of %MVPA and age, the slope of the regression line was steeper for those children not participating in the WSB. CONCLUSIONS The ALbD intervention in Columbia did not result in measurable changes in physical activity in children participating in the Walking School Bus program, but there was a negative association between age and physical activity, and the slope of that regression line was affected by participation in the program.