Active transportation to support diabetes prevention: Expanding school health promotion programming in an Indigenous community

• Published in: Evaluation and program planning 2016-06, Vol.56, p.99-108
• Main Authors: Macridis, Soultana, Garcia Bengoechea, Enrique, McComber, Alex M., Jacobs, Judi, Macaulay, Ann C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active transportation; Area planning & development; Community based action research; Community Relations; Community-based participatory research; Diabetes; Diabetes prevention; Disease prevention; Elementary schools; Experts; Health promotion; Indigenous peoples; Indigenous Populations; Mapping; Native peoples; Parent Surveys; Participatory research; Partnership; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Polls & surveys; Prevention programs; Programming; Promotion; School based; School health promotion; Schools; Stakeholders; Studies; Traffic; Transportation; Travel; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Walking
• ISSN: 0149-7189; 1873-7870
• DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.02.003

•School Travel Planning is a worthwhile approach within an Indigenous context.•Merging community-researcher expertise led to culturally and meaningful research.•Community translated baseline data into two active transportation action plans.•Action plans provide unique and similar actions/initiatives found in literature.•Engagement in study led to new partners, leaders and community-led implementation. School-based physical activity (PA) interventions, including school active transportation (AT), provide opportunities to increase daily PA levels, improves fitness, and reduces risk of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Based on a community-identified need, the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project, within an Indigenous community, undertook school travel planning to contribute to PA programming for two elementary schools. Using community-based participatory research, the Active & Safe Routes to School’s School Travel Planning (STP) process was undertaken in two schools with an STP-Committee comprised of community stakeholders and researchers. STP activities were adapted for local context including: school profile form, family survey, in-class travel survey, pedestrian-traffic observations, walkability checklist, and student mapping. STP data were jointly collected, analyzed and interpreted by researchers and community. Traffic-pedestrian observations, walkability and parent surveys identified key pedestrian-traffic locations, helped develop safe/direct routes, and traffic calming strategies. In-class travel and mapping surveys identified a need and student desire to increase school AT. The STP-Committee translated findings into STP-action plans for two schools, which were implemented in 2014–2015 school year. Combining CBPR with STP merges community and researcher expertise. This project offered evidence-informed practice for active living promotions. Experience and findings could benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.