IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i7p3923-d780177.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Determinants of Walking Behavior before and during COVID-19 in Middle-East and North Africa: Evidence from Tabriz, Iran

Author

Listed:
  • Mohammad Javad Kamelifar

    (Tabriz Metropolis Municipality, Tabriz 5174643119, Iran)

  • Behzad Ranjbarnia

    (Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran)

  • Houshmand Masoumi

    (Center for Technology and Society, Technische Universität Berlin, Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 104, 10553 Berlin, Germany
    Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa)

Abstract

To support the global strategy to raise public health through walking among adults, we added the evidence on predictors of walking behavior in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by emphasizing the mediator—COVID-19. During the COVID-19 outbreak, public restrictions to encompass the spread of the disease have disrupted normal daily lifestyles, including physical activity and sedentary behavior. It was proposed that tremendous changes have occurred on predictors of physical activity in general and walking behavior in particular for three types of walking, including commute, non-commute, and social walking compared to pre-COVID-19 time. This study aimed to identify the determinants of the walking types mentioned above, including subjective and objective variables before COVID-19, and compare them during the COVID-19 period in a sample from Iran, which has not yet been addressed in previous research. Adults (N = 603) finalized an online survey between June 5 and July 15, 2021. This group reported their individual/socioeconomic locations (e.g., home/work) and perception features before and during COVID-19. The paper developed six Binary Logistic (BL) regression models, with two models for each walking type (commute, non-commute, and social walking). For commute trips before COVID-19, the findings showed that factors including BMI, residential duration, p. (perceived) neighborhood type, p. distance to public transport stations and job/university places, p. sidewalks quality, p. facilities attractiveness, p. existence of shortcut routes, commute distance, building density and distance to public transport were correlated with commute walking. At the same time, such associations were not observed for BMI, p. distance to public transport and job/university places, p. facilities attractiveness, building density, and distance to public transport during COVID-19. The variables include age, possession of a driving license, number of family members, p. neighborhood type, p. distance to grocery, restaurant, parking, and mall, p. existence of sidewalks, land-use mix, and distance to public transport indicated correlations with non-commute before COVID-19. However, p. distance to groceries and malls and the p. existence of sidewalks did not correlate with non-commute walking during COVID-19. Ultimately for social walking, age and income variables, and the considerable proportions of subjective variables (e.g., p. distance to services/land-uses, security, etc.), health status and building density were correlated with social walking before COVID-19. Nevertheless, most of the mentioned variables did not explicitly correlate with social walking during COVID-19. As for the implication of our study, apparently, special actions will be needed by urban authorities to encourage adults to enhance their walkability levels by fully considering both objective and subjective indicators and walking types, which will result in healthier lifestyles.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Javad Kamelifar & Behzad Ranjbarnia & Houshmand Masoumi, 2022. "The Determinants of Walking Behavior before and during COVID-19 in Middle-East and North Africa: Evidence from Tabriz, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:3923-:d:780177
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/3923/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/3923/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cervero, R. & Duncan, M., 2003. "Walking, Bicycling, and Urban Landscapes: Evidence from the San Francisco Bay Area," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1478-1483.
    2. Jonas De Vos, 2019. "Analysing the effect of trip satisfaction on satisfaction with the leisure activity at the destination of the trip, in relationship with life satisfaction," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 623-645, June.
    3. Melika Mehriar & Houshmand Masoumi & Atif Bilal Aslam & Syed Mubasher Gillani, 2021. "The Neighborhood Effect on Keeping Non-Commuting Journeys within Compact and Sprawled Districts," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-21, November.
    4. Ermagun, Alireza & Samimi, Amir, 2015. "Promoting active transportation modes in school trips," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 203-211.
    5. Etminani-Ghasrodashti, Roya & Ardeshiri, Mahyar, 2015. "Modeling travel behavior by the structural relationships between lifestyle, built environment and non-working trips," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 506-518.
    6. Brownson, R.C. & Baker, E.A. & Housemann, R.A. & Brennan, L.K. & Bacak, S.J., 2001. "Environmental and policy determinants of physical activity in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(12), pages 1995-2003.
    7. Masayoshi Tanishita & Bert van Wee, 2017. "Impact of regional population density on walking behavior," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 661-678, August.
    8. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt6zr1x95m is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Leyden, K.M., 2003. "Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1546-1551.
    10. Yehua Dennis Wei & Weiye Xiao & Ming Wen & Ran Wei, 2016. "Walkability, Land Use and Physical Activity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, January.
    11. Susanne Nordbakke & Tim Schwanen, 2014. "Well-being and Mobility: A Theoretical Framework and Literature Review Focusing on Older People," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 104-129, February.
    12. Eric T. H. Chan & Tim Schwanen & David Banister, 2021. "The role of perceived environment, neighbourhood characteristics, and attitudes in walking behaviour: evidence from a rapidly developing city in China," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 431-454, February.
    13. Jonas De Vos & Tim Schwanen & Veronique Van Acker & Frank Witlox, 2013. "Travel and Subjective Well-Being: A Focus on Findings, Methods and Future Research Needs," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 421-442, July.
    14. Ruth F. Hunter & Leandro Garcia & Thiago Herick Sa & Belen Zapata-Diomedi & Christopher Millett & James Woodcock & Alex ’Sandy’ Pentland & Esteban Moro, 2021. "Effect of COVID-19 response policies on walking behavior in US cities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Rubén López-Bueno & Joaquín Calatayud & Lars L. Andersen & Carlos Balsalobre-Fernández & José Casaña & José A. Casajús & Lee Smith & Guillermo F. López-Sánchez, 2020. "Immediate Impact of the COVID-19 Confinement on Physical Activity Levels in Spanish Adults," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-10, July.
    16. Niaz Mahmud Zafri & Asif Khan & Shaila Jamal & Bhuiyan Monwar Alam, 2021. "Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Active Travel Mode Choice in Bangladesh: A Study from the Perspective of Sustainability and New Normal Situation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, June.
    17. Deutsch, Kathleen & Yoon, Seo Youn & Goulias, Konstadinos, 2013. "Modeling travel behavior and sense of place using a structural equation model," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 155-163.
    18. Begoña Muñoz & Andres Monzon & Ricardo A. Daziano, 2016. "The Increasing Role of Latent Variables in Modelling Bicycle Mode Choice," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(6), pages 737-771, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hong Jiang & Weiting Xiong, 2024. "The Impact of Land-Use Mix on Technological Innovation: Evidence from a Grid-Cell-Level Analysis of Shanghai, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Jaroslav Mazanec & Veronika Harantová & Vladimíra Štefancová & Hana Brůhová Foltýnová, 2023. "Estimating Mode of Transport in Daily Mobility during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Multinomial Logistic Regression Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-15, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tashi Dendup & Xiaoqi Feng & Stephanie Clingan & Thomas Astell-Burt, 2018. "Environmental Risk Factors for Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-25, January.
    2. Tae‐Hyoung Tommy Gim, 2020. "The relationship between overall happiness and perceived transportation services relative to other individual and environmental variables," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 712-733, June.
    3. Enayat Mirzaei & Dominique Mignot, 2021. "An Empirical Analysis of Mode Choice Decision for Utilitarian and Hedonic Trips: Evidence from Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-23, June.
    4. Wang, Fenglong & Mao, Zidan & Wang, Donggen, 2020. "Residential relocation and travel satisfaction change: An empirical study in Beijing, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 341-353.
    5. Ao, Yibin & Zhang, Yuting & Wang, Yan & Chen, Yunfeng & Yang, Linchuan, 2020. "Influences of rural built environment on travel mode choice of rural residents: The case of rural Sichuan," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Ghadir Pourhashem & Christina Georgouli & Eva Malichová & Milan Straka & Tatiana Kováčiková, 2024. "Factors influencing the perceived value of travel time in European urban areas," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1525-1545, August.
    7. Scheiner, Joachim, 2018. "Transport costs seen through the lens of residential self-selection and mobility biographies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 126-136.
    8. Majd Homoud & Ola M. Jarrar, 2024. "Walkability in Riyadh: A Comprehensive Assessment and Implications for Sustainable Community—Al-Falah Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-27, September.
    9. Timothée Cuignet & Camille Perchoux & Geoffrey Caruso & Olivier Klein & Sylvain Klein & Basile Chaix & Yan Kestens & Philippe Gerber, 2020. "Mobility among older adults: Deconstructing the effects of motility and movement on wellbeing," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(2), pages 383-401, February.
    10. Yen Tran & Naohisa Hashimoto & Takafumi Ando & Toshihisa Sato & Naoki Konishi & Yuji Takeda & Motoyuki Akamatsu, 2024. "The indirect effect of travel mode use on subjective well-being through out-of-home activities," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 2359-2391, December.
    11. Van Acker, Veronique & Cornet, Yannick & Milakis, Dimitris & Malichová, Eva & Ojeda-Cabral, Manuel, 2025. "Understanding worthwhile travel time: An empirical study of travel experiences across transport modes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    12. Andrew F. Clark & Darren M. Scott, 2016. "Barriers to Walking: An Investigation of Adults in Hamilton (Ontario, Canada)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-12, January.
    13. Lättman, Katrin & Olsson, Lars E. & Friman, Margareta, 2016. "Development and test of the Perceived Accessibility Scale (PAC) in public transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 257-263.
    14. Annesha Enam & Karthik C. Konduri & Naveen Eluru & Srinath Ravulaparthy, 2018. "Relationship between well-being and daily time use of elderly: evidence from the disabilities and use of time survey," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 1783-1810, November.
    15. Scheiner, Joachim, 2020. "Changes in travel mode use over the life course with partner interactions in couple households," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 791-807.
    16. Khaleghi, Marjan & Kato, Hirokazu, 2023. "Children’s non-school trips, travel-related subjective well-being, and life satisfaction: Evidence from young adolescents in rural Japan," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    17. Ferdman, Avigail, 2021. "Well-being and mobility: A new perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 44-55.
    18. Yu, Le & Xie, Binglei & Chan, Edwin H.W., 2019. "Exploring impacts of the built environment on transit travel: Distance, time and mode choice, for urban villages in Shenzhen, China," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 57-71.
    19. Patricia L. Mokhtarian, 2019. "Subjective well-being and travel: retrospect and prospect," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 493-513, April.
    20. Katrin Lättman & Lars E. Olsson & Margareta Friman & Satoshi Fujii, 2019. "Perceived Accessibility, Satisfaction with Daily Travel, and Life Satisfaction among the Elderly," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-15, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:3923-:d:780177. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.