Demand response to improved walking infrastructure: A study into the economics of walking and health behaviour change

Social Science & Medicine
Alberto LongoF Kee

Abstract

Walking is the most common form of moderate-intensity physical activity among adults, is widely accessible and especially appealing to obese people. Most often policy makers are interested in valuing the effect on walking of changes in some characteristics of a neighbourhood, the demand response for walking, of infrastructure changes. A positive demand response to improvements in the walking environment could help meet the public health target of 150 min of at least moderate-intensity physical activity per week. We model walking in an individual's local neighbourhood as a 'weak complement' to the characteristics of the neighbourhood itself. Walking is affected by neighbourhood characteristics, substitutes, and individual's characteristics, including their opportunity cost of time. Using compensating variation, we assess the economic benefits of walking and how walking behaviour is affected by improvements to the neighbourhood. Using a sample of 1209 respondents surveyed over a 12 month period (Feb 2010-Jan 2011) in East Belfast, United Kingdom, we find that a policy that increased walkability and people's perception of access to shops and facilities would lead to an increase in walking of about 36 min/person/week, valued at £13...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 14, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Mary LynchRhiannon Tudor Edwards
Dec 17, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Llinos Haf SpencerRhiannon Tudor Edwards
Oct 24, 2020·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Logaraj RamakreshnanNik Meriam Sulaiman
May 28, 2021·Medical Decision Making : an International Journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making·Alberto LongoIbon Galarraga

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