Evaluating effectiveness of the school-based intervention Sustainable Innovation for Children Transporting Actively (SICTA)

Research problem and specific questions Children are increasingly sedentary - a great public health threat that urgently needs to be addressed.

A simple way to reverse this trend is active school transport (AST) i.e., walk or cycle to school, which only 50% do today. This research project has evolved sine 2016 with the long-term goal to increase AST in Swedish children to 80%.

The aim of this study is to increase AST, by the school-based SICTA intervention, and thereby promote physical activity and health, contribute to traffic safety around schools and a better environment.

Data and method The study builds on several studies where the complex, school-based, SICTA intervention has been developed in co-design with end users, and tested for feasibility.

Considering schools as complex systems, the evaluation will use an age- cohort design, allowing for all children to receive the intervention.

Quantitative and qualitative methods are used; the new, co-developed web-application wASTapp for self-reported AST, questionnaires, and focus groups.

Analysis using principles for sustainable healthcare will bring a novel understanding of the sustainable value of the SICTA. Societal relevance and utilisation This study addresses the decline in physical activity and AST in children.

Physically active children more likely adopt and maintain healthy behaviours with countless positive health effects health.

If proven effective, the SICTA could mitigate urgent public health challenges, improve urban air quality and, on a large scale, mitigate climate change.

The WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission states that benefits of investing in child health are not only monetary: citizen participation, including children´s voices, are powerful forces of change to reach Agenda 2030.

Also, a child’s freedom of movement is a cornerstone in a physically active life, and increased child independent mobility is in line with transport policies and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Plan for project realisation The study will be carried out at Dalarna University in collaboration with Luleå University of Technology and Falun municipality.

The researchers have collaborated successfully in the SICTA project and have extensive experience in intervention- and implementation research using co-creative approaches and qualitative and quantitative methodology.

The extensive established network of societal stakeholders provides invaluable perspectives and ensure societal relevance of the SICTA.