Conference Agenda

Globally, as well as in Sweden, children and adolescents are becoming increasingly sedentary, with many not reaching recommended levels of daily physical activity. Active school travel (AST), such as walking or cycling to school, provides an important opportunity to integrate physical activity into everyday routines. However, despite its potential health, environmental and social benefits, the prevalence of AST has declined and policy support remains limited.

To address this challenge, a collaborative initiative was undertaken in Sweden involving academia, national authorities, municipalities, and civil society organizations. Importantly, children—the end users—were actively involved in the process. The aim of this study was to explore prerequisites for active school travel and examine how children’s accounts of their everyday school journeys can inform policy development.

Using participatory qualitative approaches, children documented and reflected on their school travel experiences, highlighting barriers and opportunities for independent active mobility. Their perspectives were combined with cross-sector expertise and a child impact assessment grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The findings informed the co-creation of a national recommendation for active school travel in Sweden. The recommendation encourages children to walk or cycle to school when feasible and safe, and calls on schools, municipalities and transport planners to create supportive environments for children’s independent mobility. The recommendation is now being implemented across Sweden through collaboration between national agencies, municipalities and other stakeholders.

By placing children’s perspectives at the centre of policy development, this work demonstrates how cross-sector collaboration can support healthier, more sustainable, and child-centred transport systems.