Active transportation and acculturation among Latino children in San Diego County

Objectives To examine multiple measures of acculturation and their association with walking to school in a large population-based sample in San Diego, California. Methods The sample consisted of predominantly Latino children and their parents (n = 812) who participated in a study to maintain healthy weights from kindergarten through 2nd grade (2004–2007). Acculturation and walking/driving to and from school were assessed through parent-proxy surveys. Results Children of foreign-born child–parent dyads walked to school more frequently than their counterparts (F = 7.71, df = 5, 732, p < .001). Similarly, parents who reported living in the U.S. for less than or equal to 12 years reported more walking to school by their children compared with parents living in the U.S. for more than 12 years (F = 10.82, df = 4, 737, p < .001). Finally, English-speaking females walked to school more frequently than Spanish-speaking and bilingual females. Conclusion This study explores Latino childrenʹs walking to and from school using four measures of acculturation. In this cross-sectional study, being less acculturated was associated with more walking to school among children living in South San Diego County.