Abstract
Background
People's mental health may play a role in influencing their travel behaviors; however, few studies have quantified the association between mental health and commuting mode choice.
Objective
This study examined 1) how mental health is associated with commute mode choice and 2) whether gender differences exist.
Data and methods
We used cross-sectional data from a population-representative sample of 7,280 adults aged 18–65 from the Netherlands. We applied multilevel multinomial logit regression models to investigate the associations between commuting mode choice and self-perceived mental health controlled for multiple person-level and built environmental characteristics. We also assessed possible effect modification by gender.
Results
Our covariate-adjusted regression results based on the entire sample showed no compelling evidence for an association between self-perceived mental health and commute mode choice. While we found null associations between mental health and commute mode choice for women, stratified analyses showed that men with relatively poorer mental health were likelier to commute via bus/tram.
Conclusion
Our cross-sectional findings weakly support the notion that men's mental health may be related to commute mode choice and no such relationship was found for women. However, we advocate more research before ruling out the possibility of complex interactions between mental health and commuting behavior.
People's mental health may play a role in influencing their travel behaviors; however, few studies have quantified the association between mental health and commuting mode choice.
Objective
This study examined 1) how mental health is associated with commute mode choice and 2) whether gender differences exist.
Data and methods
We used cross-sectional data from a population-representative sample of 7,280 adults aged 18–65 from the Netherlands. We applied multilevel multinomial logit regression models to investigate the associations between commuting mode choice and self-perceived mental health controlled for multiple person-level and built environmental characteristics. We also assessed possible effect modification by gender.
Results
Our covariate-adjusted regression results based on the entire sample showed no compelling evidence for an association between self-perceived mental health and commute mode choice. While we found null associations between mental health and commute mode choice for women, stratified analyses showed that men with relatively poorer mental health were likelier to commute via bus/tram.
Conclusion
Our cross-sectional findings weakly support the notion that men's mental health may be related to commute mode choice and no such relationship was found for women. However, we advocate more research before ruling out the possibility of complex interactions between mental health and commuting behavior.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101964 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Transport & Health |
| Volume | 40 |
| Early online date | 1 Dec 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This study was supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) [201904910425]; the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [Grant number: 714993]. This study was supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) [201904910425]; the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [Grant number: 714993].
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Horizon 2020 | |
| European Research Council | |
| China Scholarship Council | 201904910425 |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 714993 |
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