The School Run

Quoted message said:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity. This does not justify the adverse publicity
given to the school run nor the government's perception of the school
run's impact. There may be other benefits from walking children to their
neighbourhood school, but physical activity does not appear to be one of
them. >

Oh Dear...

Indeed. Stats are a wonderful thing. You can prove just about anything you want
with them ;-)

Cheers, helen s

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[email hidden] (dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers)typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity. This does not justify the adverse publicity
given to the school run nor the government's perception of the school
run's impact. There may be other benefits from walking children to their
neighbourhood school, but physical activity does not appear to be one of
them. >

Oh Dear...

Quoted message said:

Indeed. Stats are a wonderful thing. You can prove just about anything
you want
with them ;-)

Quite.

I am not a parent but many posters here are.

Median distance to school is given as 0.7km
Median walking time to school is given as 6 minutes

Do ordinary 5 year olds *usually* walk to school at 7kph (>4mph)? This
is something I as an 'normal!?' person doubt. My recollections of
walking my brother from school (he's 19 years my junior) are that we
usually pootled at around 3mph, though we could put on speed.

I doubt the data collection bearing this in mind.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Do ordinary 5 year olds *usually* walk to school at 7kph (>4mph)? This
is something I as an 'normal!?' person doubt. My recollections of
walking my brother from school (he's 19 years my junior) are that we
usually pootled at around 3mph, though we could put on speed.

I doubt the data collection bearing this in mind.

As a Caretaker at a Primary and Junior school, and parent of two children I
can confirm that 5 year olds don't normally walk at 4 mph .. it's about 7 or
8 .. but it's such a meandering, investigative course, punctuated by
numerous full stops, that the net speed over the distance is about 1 mph ...
if you're lucky ... 😉

--
Paul ...

(8(|) Homer Rules !!!

"A [censored] is a [censored], no matter what mode of transport they're using."

Quoted message said:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity.

So all the time and energy I used during my children's primary school years
walking them to school and back, a mile and a half each way, was a waste of
effort? I don't think so.
Jo

Paul - censored said:

Helen Deborah Vecht vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Do ordinary 5 year olds *usually* walk to school at 7kph (>4mph)? This
is something I as an 'normal!?' person doubt. My recollections of
walking my brother from school (he's 19 years my junior) are that we
usually pootled at around 3mph, though we could put on speed.

I doubt the data collection bearing this in mind.

As a Caretaker at a Primary and Junior school, and parent of two children I
can confirm that 5 year olds don't normally walk at 4 mph .. it's about 7 or
8 .. but it's such a meandering, investigative course, punctuated by
numerous full stops, that the net speed over the distance is about 1 mph ...
if you're lucky ... 😉

As a teacher at a 3 - 11 primary school, I can confirm that by the age
of 8 children have forgotten how to punctuate using a full stop. They
can, however, move at speed when news spreads around the playground
that a car has crashed in the road outside at the east end of the
school and they have been playing in the north-west corner of the
playground. 470 children ogling at a pranged BMW and a bent lamppost
is an amusing sight. The look on the driver's face is even more
amusing.

On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 17:05:23 +0100, Helen Deborah Vecht <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I am not a parent but many posters here are.

Median distance to school is given as 0.7km
Median walking time to school is given as 6 minutes

Do ordinary 5 year olds *usually* walk to school at 7kph (>4mph)? This
is something I as an 'normal!?' person doubt. My recollections of
walking my brother from school (he's 19 years my junior) are that we
usually pootled at around 3mph, though we could put on speed.

Our 5 year old averages about 4mph (over a mile) on his BIKE. Slightly worse
than that in autumn when conkers must be harvested.

"Jo" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity.

Quoted message said:

So all the time and energy I used during my children's primary school years
walking them to school and back, a mile and a half each way, was a waste of
effort? I don't think so.
Jo

My Mum put on a stone the year my baby brother went up to Senior School.
Of course, parents end up walking twice as far as kids...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Gonzalez <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 17:52:01 +0100, "Paul - [censored]"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Helen Deborah Vecht vaguely muttered something like ...

Quoted message said:

Do ordinary 5 year olds *usually* walk to school at 7kph (>4mph)? This
is something I as an 'normal!?' person doubt. My recollections of
walking my brother from school (he's 19 years my junior) are that we
usually pootled at around 3mph, though we could put on speed.

I doubt the data collection bearing this in mind.

As a Caretaker at a Primary and Junior school, and parent of two children I
can confirm that 5 year olds don't normally walk at 4 mph .. it's
about 7 or
8 .. but it's such a meandering, investigative course, punctuated by
numerous full stops, that the net speed over the distance is about 1
mph ...
if you're lucky ... 😉

Quoted message said:

As a teacher at a 3 - 11 primary school, I can confirm that by the age
of 8 children have forgotten how to punctuate using a full stop. They
can, however, move at speed when news spreads around the playground
that a car has crashed in the road outside at the east end of the
school and they have been playing in the north-west corner of the
playground. 470 children ogling at a pranged BMW and a bent lamppost
is an amusing sight. The look on the driver's face is even more
amusing.

From this weeks Ham & High...

---------------------

WHIFF OF HYPOCRISY ON 4X4S

There is more than a whiff of hypocrisy from readers who rushed to
criticise me for driving a 4x4 (Letters September 24 & October 1).
Did none of your correspondents ever put their own and their families'
interests before those of others>
When I take my children to school, the road is so jammed with 4x4s that
I have to double park. So why no word of support in your columns from
the other drivers?
Mr Guy King (October 1) is right that, in an ideal world,drivers should
not use mirrors to reverse, but I am not able to see through the rear
window when my boys are leaping around in the back.

Mariana Vellacek, Talbot Rd, London N6

-----------------------

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

My Mum put on a stone the year my baby brother went up to Senior School.
Of course, parents end up walking twice as far as kids...

....and don't spend break time running round chasing each other ;-)

Tony

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

This week's BMJ features a paper
(http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/bmj;329/7470/832) which
concludes:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity. This does not justify the adverse publicity
given to the school run nor the government's perception of the school
run's impact. There may be other benefits from walking children to their
neighbourhood school, but physical activity does not appear to be one of
them. >

Oh Dear...

Is the Oh Dear because you've read the paper and have criticisms of the
methodology and data analysis or because you don't like the conclusions
they have reached?

Tony

Tony Raven <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

This week's BMJ features a paper
(http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/bmj;329/7470/832) which
concludes:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity. This does not justify the adverse publicity
given to the school run nor the government's perception of the school
run's impact. There may be other benefits from walking children to their
neighbourhood school, but physical activity does not appear to be one of
them. >

Oh Dear...

Quoted message said:

Is the Oh Dear because you've read the paper and have criticisms of the
methodology and data analysis or because you don't like the conclusions
they have reached?

Quoted message said:

Tony

Both.

I find it hard to believe the time and distance figures and think
collecting data in first year kids means cumulative effects (eg on body
fat - skinfold thickness) are effectively excluded.

I am also unashamedly anti-car.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

This week's BMJ features a paper
(http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/bmj;329/7470/832) which
concludes:

< Whether children walk to and from primary school makes no difference
to their total activity. This does not justify the adverse publicity
given to the school run nor the government's perception of the school
run's impact. There may be other benefits from walking children to their
neighbourhood school, but physical activity does not appear to be one of
them. >

For 5 year olds who live 6 minutes from school, it doesn't sound too
surprising (or useful).

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

I am not a parent but many posters here are.

Median distance to school is given as 0.7km
Median walking time to school is given as 6 minutes

Do ordinary 5 year olds *usually* walk to school at 7kph (>4mph)? This
is something I as an 'normal!?' person doubt. My recollections of
walking my brother from school (he's 19 years my junior) are that we
usually pootled at around 3mph, though we could put on speed.

The average speed is not the median distance divided by the median time.

Tony

James Annan said:

For 5 year olds who live 6 minutes from school, it doesn't sound too
surprising (or useful).

OTOH as 84% of those walking walked less than 1.6km, presumably about 12
minutes, it is useful as it represents the majority reality. The point
you can make is that made in Docherty's response that maybe the
prevalence of the school runs means that the longer journeys are no
longer walked.

Tony

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Both.

I find it hard to believe the time and distance figures and think
collecting data in first year kids means cumulative effects (eg on body
fat - skinfold thickness) are effectively excluded.

Whether the distances are hard to believe or not, there is no obvious
problem with the way they were measured and its likely to be more
accurate than your guess.

Quoted message said:

I am also unashamedly anti-car.

No bias there then ;-)

Tony

Tony Raven said:

The average speed is not the median distance divided by the median time.

Not precisely, but it will be very close.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

James Annan said:

Tony Raven said:

The average speed is not the median distance divided by the median time.

Not precisely, but it will be very close.

James

Not looking at the assymetric distribution of times (median 6,
interquartile range -1/+4) and the relatively symmetric distribution of
distances (median 0.7, range -0.3/+0.5)

Tony

Tony Raven said:

OTOH as 84% of those walking walked less than 1.6km, presumably about 12
minutes, it is useful as it represents the majority reality.

The reality for 5 year olds who have only just started walking to
school, sure. But this in itself seems like quite a straw-man, as I
don't think anyone would ever have suggested that a 5 year old who has
walked to school for a few months (at most) is likely to be
significantly fitter than one who does not.

I wonder what the accelerometer measures during a car journey?

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

Tony Raven said:

James Annan said:

Tony Raven said:

The average speed is not the median distance divided by the median time.

Not precisely, but it will be very close.

James

Not looking at the assymetric distribution of times (median 6,
interquartile range -1/+4) and the relatively symmetric distribution of
distances (median 0.7, range -0.3/+0.5)

Depends wha you mean by "close" - 6kmh still seems improbably fast to
me. But since the times were self-reported, they could easily be rounded
to the nearest few mins which would introduce a lot of error. And the
distances were not necessarily the routes taken anyway...

IMO the most (only?) interesting thing about this study is the evidence
that the non-walkers do more exercise outside school hours.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/