Model of Children’s Active Travel (M-CAT)

  • The Model of Children’s Active Travel (M-CAT) addresses factors that influence parents’ or children’s decision making on the children’s active travel using a simple and comprehensive approach. Active travel is, by walking or riding bicycle, travelling between local destinations, such as school or park. The factors impact decision-making process of the parents and the child of active travel consist of: (1) objective element of the child, parents, family and environment, (2) perceptions of the parents and child around these objective elements, and (3) outcome. Object elements are stable, objective elements of the environment (physical, economic, political-social-cultural), and objective characteristics of the child (e.g., gender, age, previous active travel experience), parents (e.g., marital status, income, job demands), and family (e.g., family size, active travel abilities of any siblings). Perception elements depict the parents’ and the child’s perceptions of the environment and of each other in the context of the individual’s parents, child and family characteristics. The parent’s and children’s attitudes, values and beliefs are also involved in the process. In other words, the parent’s perceptions on the characteristic of environment, and the child’s own attitude, beliefs and values regarding active travel, influences the decision-making process. The outcome elements are their decisions regarding active travel and the child’s engagement, and the occurring events during active travel trips. By using this model, therapists examine variables that influencing a child’s active travel, and plan school- or community-level interventions to promote active travel choices.

Summarized by

  • Macey Cho

Type

  • Model (conceptual)

Population

  • Child

Disability

  • All

Domain of occupation

  • Unspecified

Application Note

  • It serves as a systematic way for therapists to examine the complex and dynamic relationships between variables that influences decision-making in active traveling.

Key Reference

  • Pont, K., Ziviani, J., Wadley, D., & Abbott, R. (2011). The Model of Children's Active Travel (M-CAT): A conceptual framework for examining factors influencing children's active travel. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58, 138-144.

Year Published

  • 2011

Primary Developer

  • Karina Pont

Primary Developer Email

  • karina.pont@scu.edu.au

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