Can the theory of planned behaviour explain walking to and from school among Australian children? A social marketing formative research study

<jats:p>Evidence indicates that lower levels of obesity among school‐age children can be achieved through active travel to school. This research aimed to investigate the explanatory potential of constructs in the theory of planned behaviour for carers' decisions about their children's walking to and from school. The data from two online surveys of 1,076 carers in 2 Australian states showed that the theory of planned behaviour explained 35.7% of the variance in walking to and from school. The results indicate that higher perceived behavioural control, social norms, and intentions among carers are associated with higher incidence of walking to and from school by children in Australia. Limitations of the current study and future research directions are outlined.</jats:p>