Transport and well-being among older adolescents

Abstract

Background Discussions of teenage transport issues are typically framed from the perspective of crash risk and physical health. This research addresses transport in the context of well-being, from the Positive Youth Development perspective. Issues surrounding mobility affect older teenagers’ life satisfaction and self-perceived strengths, but this is not a focus in the literature. As the transport mode chosen by a teenager is essentially an individual decision, with public health implications, how teenagers choose to travel the way they do, and what impact these choices have on well-being, should help researchers acquire a more nuanced view of the role transportation plays in overall health. Thus the aim of this thesis is to determine which transport practices and/or circumstances support well-being among older teenagers in Southland, New Zealand. Methods This thesis comprises five distinct but related projects, all with the aim of addressing the relationship between transport and well-being among older adolescents, by first describing transport and well-being among older teenagers in Southland, New Zealand, and then determining which transport practices and/or circumstances support well-being among this sample. The first project is a literature review describing the topic this thesis addresses. The second, a qualitative photovoice project, sought advice from key informants to provide context for further research. The third and fourth projects focused on testing the feasibility of the final quantitative survey tool used in this thesis, and involved a pilot project, and the translation of the survey tool to te reo Māori. The fifth project, a quantitative online survey of twelve schools in Southland, New Zealand, queried older adolescents about their transport habits and their subjective well-being. This last project provided data for descriptive and regression analysis. Results The qualitative photovoice study influenced the writing of the online survey, and the pilot study allowed for the finding and correcting of errors, and informed on best practice for survey dissemination. Survey results suggested that transport habits do in fact have an effect on the well-being of older adolescents. Multiple linear regression analysis performed on the final online survey data suggests that the practices and/or circumstances that support well-being among this sample differed by gender, and included peer and parental attachment, certain activities, transport frustration, licence status, meeting physical activity guidelines, income, proximity lived to city centre, and transport modes. These are new findings that add to the transport and well-being literature. Conclusions In order to fully address transport issues among older adolescents, they must be viewed through the lens of well-being. The information in this thesis provides a good foundation of the “how” with regard to transport and well-being among older adolescents. Future research should consider the “why”, in order to develop and conduct meaningful and effective intervention projects in this area.