Science & Technology, UK (Commonwealth Union) – The lockdowns made us realize how essential travel and having the liberty to move around is, rather than stay in the same place and engage in the same activity over and over again. Traveling and interacting with friends has always been fundamental necessity of life.
A study conducted by the University College London (UCL) has found that for individuals that travel at greater lengths outside of their local area feel that they have better health than those remaining near their homes.
The regularity individuals travel and the range of places visited are significant, with individuals traveling frequently over 15 miles away from home with an increased likelihood that indicated being in general good health.
Individuals traveling to a wider variety of destinations have an increased likelihood to see friends and family. This elevation in social participation is then associated with improved health.
According to the study the results give strong evidence of the requirement for investment in medium and long-distance transportation choices, like improved serviced roads and the ability to access trains and buses.
The paper, which appeared in Transport & Health, had researchers analyze travel in the northern England, where residents face bad health outcomes than all other areas of England and a lot of rural and suburban areas are impacted by poor transport accessibility.
Researchers specifically, explored associations between perceived limitations to travel outside of the local area, like an absence of suitable public transport, together with self-rated health, considering trip frequency, the number of different places visited, distance travelled, car utilization and use of public transport.
The lead author Dr Paulo Anciaes of the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources indicated that they expected to find that limitations on travel via a lack of access to suitable public transport or a private car would be associated with residents’ perception of their health due to the lacking in social participation.
“We explored the links between constraints to travel more than 15 miles from home, demographics and location and social participation in how residents perceived their own health, finding that the key variable is the number of different places people visit outside their local area. This links to more social participation and better health,” said Dr Anciaes.
Researchers carried out an online survey of 3,014 nationally representative of those in the north of England. Constraints to travel have been noted on prior occasions as contributing to economic disadvantage and a decreased sense of wellbeing in the region, but the impact on health was not analyzed previously. The team applied a research technique known as “path analysis”, which reveals the direct and indirect impacts of constraints to travel outside of the individual’s local area.
The study discovered that the associations between travel constraints, social participation and health are greater among those over 55 years old. Within this group, constraints to the number of different destinations individuals can travel to, is associated with lower frequent contact among friends and club and society participation.
“Those aged over 55 are more likely to face other constraints to travel such as limited mobility. They are also more likely to suffer from loneliness. In the north of England, rural and suburban areas with limited access options are more likely to experience population loss as young people move to the cities in search of work and good travel options. Meanwhile, older generations are left behind in these areas with limited transport options. The range of places they can visit is low, leading to less social participation and lower levels of general health,” said Dr Anciaes.
“The results of this study emphasise the need for public policies that reduce constraints to travel in the region, by providing better options for private and public transport that allows for more frequent and longer trips.”
