Intervention:
Seven studies (one good, four moderate and two poor quality) investigated the effectiveness of a walking school bus intervention. The intervention comprised of groups of children walking to school chaperoned by a number of volunteer parents. The studies implemented a wide range of actions alongside this, including informally organised walking groups by parent volunteers, policy changes in schools encouraging modal shift from car to walking, involvement of local authority highway departments for route planning, infrastructure improvements like street lighting, promotional events and incentives.
Evidence quality:
The majority of studies were of good or moderate quality, and all favoured the intervention, however it should be noted that four out of the seven studies (three moderate quality, one poor quality) did not report whether their findings were statistically significant.
Generalisability:
Three studies were conducted in the UK, one in the USA and one in Belgium. The intervention is therefore likely generalisable to Wales, but further context-specific exploration should be considered.
If proceeding with this intervention:
It is suggested that a detailed examination of the evidence base is conducted, taking into account intervention context, to support design and implementation. A thorough evaluation of impact should also be conducted.