STREETS (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools)
The STREETS Study (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools) is a five-year (2018 – 2023) natural experiment that is evaluating the City of Austin Safe Routes to School program. In 2016, the City of Austin approved $27.5 million in Mobility Bond Funds for Safe Routes to School infrastructure projects, including protected bike lanes, pedestrian islands, shared use paths, and pedestrian hybrid beacons. Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living Investigators are evaluating these transformative infrastructure changes. The evaluation includes a comparison/control study with schools in Central Texas.
The City of Austin Safe Routes to School program information is available online.
The STREETS (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools) study includes two rigorous approaches:
Active Commuting to School (cross-sectional) study:
- Participants: 3rd – 5th grade classroom teachers at 95 schools in Central Texas are participating in this project
- Project length: biannual measurements between Fall 2018 and Spring 2024
- Measurements: classroom active commuting to school tally and school policy survey
Physical Activity in Children (cohort) study:
- Participants: following 3rd graders from 31 schools in Central Texas for 3 years (3rd – 5th grade)
- Project length: Fall 2018 to Spring 2024
- Measurements: objective physical activity as measured by accelerometers; parent and child surveys; school environmental audits
STREETS Progress Report 2021-2022
STREETS Research Study Video
The City of Austin Safe Routes to School program information is available online.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Sarah S. Bentley, MPH
Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living
1616 Guadalupe Street, Suite 6.300
Austin, Texas 78701
Sarah.S.Bentley@uth.tmc.edu
512-482-6152
Examining the availability and equitable distribution of recreational assets for physical activity across school neighborhoods in Central Texas
9/22/22 - Examining the availability and equitable distribution of recreational assets for physical activity across school neighborhoods in Central Texas
Longitudinal Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among School-Age Children in Central Texas, US during the COVID-19 Pandemic
9/10/22 - Longitudinal Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among School-Age Children in Central Texas, US during the COVID-19 Pandemic
STREETS School Stakeholder Interview Qualitative Report by Jenna Guzman
8/10/22 - STREETS School Stakeholder Interview Qualitative Report
STREETS: ISBNPA Conference Presentation by Dr. Ganzar
5/21/2022 - Changes in Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among School-Age Children during COVID-19
Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating Health Effects of Municipally Funded Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects in Austin, Texas
4/11/22 - Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating Health Effects of Municipally Funded Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects in Austin, Texas
STREETS: Active Living Conference Presentation by Katie Burford
04/08/2021 - Associations of Reported Crime and Children's Active Commuting to School: The Safe TRavel Environments Evaluation in Texas Schools Study (STREETS).
STREETS: Active Living Conference Presentation by Dr. Ganzar
04/08/2021 - School Policies and Active Commuting among Elementary Students: A Dose Response Association
STREETS Healthier Texas Summit Presentation
10/17/2019 - Hitting the STREETS: Evaluating the Health Effects of the City of Austin’s Safe Routes to School Program
Association of Walking and Biking to School Policies and Active Commuting to School in Children
Ganzar, LA, Burford, K, Zhang, Y, Gressett, A, Kohl, HW., & Hoelscher. DM.. (2023). Association of Walking and Biking to School Policies and Active Commuting to School in Children. Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
Incorporating equity into active commuting to school infrastructure projects: A case study
Ganzar, L.A., Bentley, S.S., Salvo, D., Durand, C.P., Anderson, A., et al. (2022). Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 112, 103493.
Longitudinal changes in objectively-measured physical activity and sedentary time among school-age children in central Texas, US during the COVID-19 pandemic
Ganzar, L. A., Salvo, D., Burford, K., Zhang, Y., Kohl, H. W., 3rd, & Hoelscher, D. M. (2022). The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 19(1), 56.
Effects of Large-Scale Municipal Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Student Active Travel and Physical Activity: Design, Methods, and Baseline Data of the Safe Travel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools (STREETS) Natural Experiment
Hoelscher, D. M., Ganzar, L. A., Salvo, D., Kohl, H. W., III, Pérez, A., Brown, H. S., Bentley, S. S., Dooley, E. E., Emamian, A., & Durand, C. P. (2022). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1810. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031810 PMCID: PMC8834930
School-Level Economic Disparities in Police-Reported Crimes and Active Commuting to School.
Burford, K.; Ganzar, L.A.; Lanza, K.; Kohl, H.W., III; Hoelscher, D.M. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 10885. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010885) PMCID: PMC8535774
Sarah Bentley, MPH
Henry (Shelton) Brown, III, PhD
Martha Diaz Marin
Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, RDN, LD, CNS, FISBNPA
Harold W. (Bill) Kohl, III, PhD
Adriana Pérez, PhD
Moving Toward Transportation Justice
Researchers from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living recently published a case study on the City of Austin’s process of dividing and prioritizing $27.5 million dollars for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) improvements from the 2016 Mobility Bond. To the authors’ knowledge, this was the largest amount of money allocated to SRTS improvements within one municipality to date. Council members chose to split the money equally across city council districts, so that improvements could be implemented across the city; however, data show that there might have been a better way to distribute the funds to more adequately address areas with greater need.UTHealth drives forward programs to stop childhood obesity
Two grants totaling nearly $3.7 million will support the efforts of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to combat obesity and help Texas children achieve healthy lifestyles through the mission of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.
Taking it to the STREETS: Evaluating health effects of Safe Routes to School infrastructure changes in Austin, Texas
In coordination with the approaching Bike to School day on May 5, 2021, this webinar will highlight the importance of active travel to school, and a current Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative.
