Is Active Mobility Associated with Increased Levels of Perceived Well-Being? The Role of Perceived Constraints

Physical activity is today a major global problem, since it is associated with physical, psychological, and social health risks. Promoting active mobility by using walking and cycling as modes of transportation has been proposed as one of the strategies to promote physical activity in urban areas while also addressing several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This study aimed to examine whether the adoption of active mobility behavior contributes to individual well-being and further test which constraints individuals face when adopting it. The sample of the study consisted of 294 citizens from Enterprise and Innovation a metropolitan area in Greece. The factorial analysis of the constraints active mobility scale confirmed the five dimensions: environmental, psychological, individual, social, and interest. The results indicated that citizens who reported the use of active mobility were more likely to report higher levels. Furthermore, lack of interest was not the main reason for not using active mobility. Instead, most of the reported constraints were directly or indirectly related to the inadequate, unfriendly, and unsafe urban infrastructure, which creates concerns about individual safety. The implications of these results are discussed.