Cusack Meagan
University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, 3701 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion, 4100 Chester Avenue, Suite 202, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
J Transp Health. 2021 Sep;22:101089. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2021.101089. Epub 2021 May 27.
Physical inactivity is a major public health concern. Though active transportation through bicycling and walking can increase physical activity and thereby positively affect health, factors that influence people's decisions to commute using active transportation modes remain underexplored and often fail to capture equity-related barriers. Increases in active transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic call for a better understanding of these influences. This study examines the commute mode choices of essential workers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA to explore the extent to which active transportation to work is explained by individual, social, and environmental factors and whether active transportation choices reflect inequalities.
Drawing on the theory of planned behavior and the social-ecological model, this study utilizes data from an online survey (N = 213) completed between June and August 2020. Bivariate analyses compare respondents who commuted using active transportation modes to those who did not using chi-square and ANOVA tests. A series of logistic regression models using forward stepwise selection, controlling for demographic characteristics and commute distance, identify salient individual, social, and environmental factors associated with active transportation.
Nearly half of respondents changed their commute mode during the pandemic, most often to limit exposure to COVID-19. The full model, accounting for 54% of variation in active transportation commuting, indicated significantly lower odds of active transportation use among non-white (Odds Ratio [OR]: 0.155) respondents and those who reported time constraints (OR: 0.450), concerns about safety from traffic (OR: 0.482), and greater satisfaction with community support for bicycling and pedestrian issues (OR: 0.551) and significantly higher odds among those who reported safety concerns around germs (OR: 1.580).
Structural and social investments that make bicycling and walking safer commuting alternatives during COVID-19 could protect essential works and contribute to sustained behavior change. Community engagement is essential for implementation efforts.
缺乏身体活动是一个重大的公共卫生问题。虽然骑自行车和步行等主动出行方式可以增加身体活动，从而对健康产生积极影响，但影响人们选择主动出行方式通勤的因素仍未得到充分研究，且往往未能捕捉到与公平性相关的障碍。新冠疫情期间主动出行的增加，要求我们更好地理解这些影响因素。本研究调查了美国宾夕法尼亚州费城关键岗位工作者的通勤方式选择，以探讨个体、社会和环境因素在多大程度上解释了主动出行上班的情况，以及主动出行选择是否反映了不平等现象。
本研究借鉴计划行为理论和社会生态模型，利用了2020年6月至8月期间完成的一项在线调查（N = 213）的数据。双变量分析使用卡方检验和方差分析，比较采用主动出行方式通勤的受访者与未采用主动出行方式通勤的受访者。一系列采用向前逐步选择法的逻辑回归模型，在控制人口统计学特征和通勤距离的情况下，确定了与主动出行相关的显著个体、社会和环境因素。
近一半的受访者在疫情期间改变了通勤方式，最常见的原因是为了减少接触新冠病毒。完整模型解释了主动出行通勤中54%的变异，结果表明，非白人受访者（优势比[OR]：0.155）、报告有时间限制的受访者（OR：0.450）、担心交通安全性的受访者（OR：0.482）以及对社区在自行车和行人问题上的支持更满意的受访者（OR：0.551）选择主动出行的可能性显著较低，而报告担心细菌安全性的受访者选择主动出行的可能性显著较高（OR：1.580）。
在新冠疫情期间，通过结构性和社会性投资使骑自行车和步行成为更安全的通勤选择，可为关键岗位工作者提供保护，并有助于实现行为的持续改变。社区参与对于实施这些措施至关重要。
