Adolescents' environmental perceptions mediate associations between streetscape environments and active school travel

Promoting adolescents’ active school travel may support their health and wellbeing. Based on survey data of 473 adolescents in Guangzhou, China, and street view images, we employed generalized structural equation models to examine 1) the relationships between objective and perceived streetscape characteristics and adolescents’ active school travel and 2) the mediating roles of perceived safety, walkability, and air pollution. Results showed that street safety, vitality, greenery, and vehicle volume were positively related to odds of active school travel, while higher pavement ratio was associated with lower odds of active school travel. Street safety, pavement ratio, and vehicle volume were related to active school travel through perceived walkability, while street vitality and vehicle volume were associated with active school travel through the perceived safety-walkability path and perceived air pollution-walkability path. Our findings provide practical insights that could help city planners to make urban street environments more child-friendly for adolescents’ active travelling.