Psychosocial Barriers of Public Transport Use and Social Exclusion among Older Adults: Empirical Evidence from Lahore, Pakistan

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Zulfiqar Ali¹  Tahir Mahmood²  HongChing Goh³  YongAdilah Shamsul Harumain³  MuhammadAhmad Al-Rashid³  Tiziana Campisi⁴ 

[1] Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, SAR, China;Department of Technology, School of Science and Technology, The Open University of Hong Kong, SAR, China;Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy;

关键词: social exclusion;    public transport;    psychosocial;    older adults;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph18010185

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Transport planning and public health have been intertwined historically. The health impact of public transport services, such as social exclusion, is a widely discussed research topic. Social exclusion is a paramount concern for older adults’ health in the wake of emerging global challenges. However, there remains a significant research gap on how psychosocial barriers faced by older adults in using public transport services influence the social exclusion behavior. The present research provides empirical evidence and shows the impact of certain psychosocial barriers of public transportation on older adults’ social exclusion. A total of 243 Pakistani older adults (aged 60–89 years old) voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants provided self-reports on their psychosocial barriers (including perceived norms, attitude, personal ability, habits, neighborhood social constraints, and intention) and the corresponding social exclusion. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized for the data analysis. The structural path model supported the significant associations between psychosocial barriers and social exclusion. Except for perceived descriptive norms, all other psychosocial barriers predicted older adults’ social exclusion. The research portrays the significance of the psychosocial factors to examine social exclusion and offers practical implications for urban and transport planners. The concerned policymakers can use the research findings to develop age-sensitive, socially sustainable, and healthy cities.

【 授权许可】

Unknown