The ‘walking with friends to school’ project and its contribution to independent mobility, self-esteem and happiness

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to contribute to the international scientific literature that highlights the benefits of children walking to school without adult supervision, and its influence on aspects such as mobility autonomy and health (among others). The study included 215 children from a public school in the municipality of Bilbao, Spain in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades of Primary Education. The questionnaire consisted of different validated scales on independence of mobility, self-esteem and happiness. Our findings suggest that students who participate in the ‘friendly paths’ project have greater independent mobility in comparison with those who do not, whilst it is noteworthy that this type of project primarily affects the closer spaces or school journeys. Moreover, our findings indicate that variables such as gender and age are determining factors in the independence of mobility, with older children showing greater autonomy.