Page 12 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 12 of 188 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
2
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2007). Particularly, a substantial number of
pedestrian fatality and injuries among school aged children occurs during normal
school travel hours (Walton-Haynes, 2002). While many parents decide to drive their
children to school, inter alia, to keep them safe, increasing car use comes at a high
cost that places children at greater risk of physical inactivity and obesity, just to
name a few.
In recent years, the issue of safe and active school travel has increased in
practical and scholarly importance. This is in line with a rapid increase in childhood
obesity over the past two decades, which has generated serious concerns about
adverse health and psychological outcomes (i.e., hypertension, type 2 diabetes,
depression, etc.) and a substantial increase in health expenditure associated with
childhood obesity.1 A great deal of policy, planning, and design interests have
focused on ways to increase physical activity among children to prevent obesity.
Particularly, the journey to school has been identified as an important opportunity for
promoting daily physical activity among children (Tudor-Locke, Ainworth, Adair, &
Popkin, 2003). In the U.S., a public health initiative such as Healthy People 2010
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000) includes increasing the
proportion of active commuting to school as one of the objectives to improve
children’s health.
1 Presently, nearly one third of children and adolescents in the U.S. are either at risk for overweight or
overweight (Hedley et al., 2004). It is estimated that the nation’s health care spending attributable to
obesity-associated diseases among children has increased more than three times, from 35 million in
1979 to $127 million in 1999 (Wang & Dietz, 2002).
Object Description
| Title | Walkability as 'freedom': the ecology of school journey in inner city Los Angeles neighborhoods |
| Author | Uhm, Jung A |
| Author email | uhm@usc.edu; j_uhm@hotmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | planning |
| School | School of Policy, Planning, and Development |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-06-05 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-17 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Banerjee, Tridib |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Irazabal, Clara Stoner, Madeleine |
| Abstract | Over the past two decades, rising concerns over childhood obesity and its health effects have brought the issue of "walkability" to the forefront in creating a child friendly environment. Particularly, the idea of promoting children walking to and from school has gained widespread support among policy makers, public health officials, civic organizations, and planners as a way to increase physical activity among children to prevent obesity. Recent policies and programs however are based on an assumption about the direct influence of the built environment on school travel mode, of which parents' values and perceptions are considered prominent in determining environmental attributes related to children walking to school.; This research proposes a conceptual framework in understanding the relationship between the environment and children's travel by adding a crucial link generally missing in current walkability research - children. By proposing the notion of walkability as freedom, this study attempts to draw attentions to children's choices and real opportunities and factors that either facilitate or prohibit children in or from actualizing what they value (walking to school as one of many). With this goal, this research explored the elements of a walkable environment through the eyes of ethnic minority children attending five elementary schools in inner city Los Angeles.; Through the triangulation of capability approach, child-centered participatory methods, and ecological perspectives, the findings demonstrate children's capacity not only to observe and understand the environment, but also to evaluate and reflect on making their neighborhood environment safer and walkable on their own terms.; This research suggests a shift in policy focus from the provision and improvement of environmental resources to the enhancement of individual freedom by increasing children's participatory capability. The results of this study advance the discussion on the relationship between active school travel and the environment by bringing children into the foreground within the spheres of ecological transaction. |
| Keyword | capability; children; inner-city neighborhood; perception; school travel; walkability |
| Geographic subject | educational facilities: Foshay Learning Center; educational facilities: Norwood Street Elementary School; educational facilities: St. Agnes Parish School; educational facilities: Vermont Avenue Elementary School; educational facilities: Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School |
| Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Los Angeles |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Coverage date | circa 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1671 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Uhm, Jung A |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Uhm-2224 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume29/etd-Uhm-2224.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 12 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 2 Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2007). Particularly, a substantial number of pedestrian fatality and injuries among school aged children occurs during normal school travel hours (Walton-Haynes, 2002). While many parents decide to drive their children to school, inter alia, to keep them safe, increasing car use comes at a high cost that places children at greater risk of physical inactivity and obesity, just to name a few. In recent years, the issue of safe and active school travel has increased in practical and scholarly importance. This is in line with a rapid increase in childhood obesity over the past two decades, which has generated serious concerns about adverse health and psychological outcomes (i.e., hypertension, type 2 diabetes, depression, etc.) and a substantial increase in health expenditure associated with childhood obesity.1 A great deal of policy, planning, and design interests have focused on ways to increase physical activity among children to prevent obesity. Particularly, the journey to school has been identified as an important opportunity for promoting daily physical activity among children (Tudor-Locke, Ainworth, Adair, & Popkin, 2003). In the U.S., a public health initiative such as Healthy People 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000) includes increasing the proportion of active commuting to school as one of the objectives to improve children’s health. 1 Presently, nearly one third of children and adolescents in the U.S. are either at risk for overweight or overweight (Hedley et al., 2004). It is estimated that the nation’s health care spending attributable to obesity-associated diseases among children has increased more than three times, from 35 million in 1979 to $127 million in 1999 (Wang & Dietz, 2002). |
