A Built Environment and Active Transport to School (Beats) study published in the Journal of Transport and Health earlier this month, showed those who attended their nearest school were five times more likely to have active forms of transport, such as walking or cycling.
However, of the 797 Dunedin non-zoned state secondary school pupils surveyed for the study in 2014-15, only 51.3% of the respondents were enrolled at their closest school.
The average age of the respondents was 15.2, and 51.4% were boys.
Principal investigator Sandy Mandic stopped short of telling parents to put their children's health ahead of their ''preference'' for a particular school.
Instead, she said school choice decisions had implications, not only for education, but also for public health, transport and environmental sustainability.
A multi-sector collaboration was needed to ''reduce the tensions between parents' and students' school choice expectations of getting the best education possible, and the goal of increasing rates of active transport to school''.
Dr Mandic said it was important because physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption was decreasing among adolescents, while screen time and weight was increasing, causing longer-term health problems.
''It's basically setting up unhealthy lifestyles that predisposes them for health problems down the road.''
Those enrolled at their nearest school only had to travel an average of 1.7km.
''It's a good walking distance for adolescents.
''For those who did not go to their closest school, the average distance is 5.7km.
''Just looking at distance alone, if you live 5.7km from your school, you're not going to walk to school.''
Of those enrolled at their nearest school, 46.5% used active modes of transport to school, such as walking or cycling.
The statistics also showed only 8.8% of those who chose to attend schools further afield used active modes of transport to get to school.
Dr Mandic said the survey showed pupils were more likely to attend their closest school if they were girls, at a co-ed school, had a sibling at the same school, or had significantly less access to motorised transport to school.
Age, ethnicity, socio-economic status and the availability of bicycles did not affect school choice.
However, having a friend there, positive comments from the community and the school being co-ed, were all key reasons for school choice among those surveyed.
Dr Mandic said more articles would be published as results from the study became available.
