MAPS – Multisport Against Physical Sedentary WP4 Promoting Schoolchildren’s Physical Activity by Change in Transport to School Behaviour Short Introduction
Description of WP4
The work assocations correlations of between context.
The work package of TU Berlin focuses on the correlations between what is called “obesogenic urban form” (urban form which is highly car-oriented) and BMI and obesity of children of between 9 and 12 years of age. The geographical context covers European cities, represented by 9 pilot cities which cover a wide range of geographical and cultural European contexts from north to south of the continent. This will help to understand different mobility behaviors of children in different cultures and explore their differences.
package of TU Berlin investigates between active travels to school and its with land use and the weight of children 9 and 12 years of age in a European
Background It is possible to confirm that physical activity is one of the most effective methods to keep body and mind in shape, avoid overweight and obesity and prevent related diseases. In addition, participation in physical activity and sport is in correlation with other factors, such as social interaction and social inclusion. Researchers confirm the role that sport and physical activity have in development of children and adolescents and the coherence with levels of physical activity practiced in adulthood. .
Research Questions Is there a significant correlation between the urban form characteristics around schools and obesity and BMI of children between 9 and 12 in the European context? To what extent does the urban travel behavior of parents affect children’s transportation to school? Are there differences in walking behavior of children to school in different European cities? Which change in what specifications of the built environment and parents’ urban travel habits can lead to higher physical activity of school children in form of more walking and biking?
Partnership
Research Methods
CSI Centro Sportivo Italiano (Rome, Italy)(Coordination) Technische Universität Berlin (Berlin, Germany) EGVE – Nothern Greece Physical Education Teachers Association (Thessaloniki, Greece) Rijeka Disability Sports Association (Rijeka, Croatia) HvS – Hearts for Sports (Utrecht, Netherlands) Academy of Business Administration and Health Science (Łódź, Poland) The Innovation and Development Institute Príncipe Real (Miranda do Douro, Portugal) Doğanşehir Gençlik Hizmetleri ve Spor İlçe Müdürlüğü (Dogansehir, Turkey)
The data collection is undertaken in form of surveys in 22 schools in 9 European cities: Foggia, Italy; Berlin, Germany; Thessaloniki, Greece; Rijeka, Croatia; Utrecht, Netherlands; Łódź and Konstantynow, Poland; Malatya and Doğanşehir, Turkey. The data of more than 1400 students are collected by self-administered questionnaires. The characteristics of urban form are quantified manually based on maps of the 3x3 km rectangles around the schools as pedestrian sheds. The generated data are used for mathematical modeling methods such as discrete choice modeling and multivariate linear regression as well as analysis of variance, t-test, and to answer the research questions of this work package.
Contact: Dr.-Ing. Houshmand E. Masoumi
Project Website: www.maps-project.eu
Email:
[email protected] Phone: +49(030)314-24616
Project Team: Dr.-Ing. Houshmand E. Masoumi Prof. Dr. Dr. Martina Schäfer Gordon E. Jamerson Pia Stendera
Zentrum Technik und Gesellschaft Sekr.: HBS 1 Technische Universität Berlin Hardenbergstr. 16-18 D-10623 Berlin www.tu-berlin.de/ztg
Funded by: European Commission Project Duration: January/2016 – December/2017
