Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1452014

Reassessing the Non-linear Causal Link Between Long-Duration Commuting and Self-rated Health: Do Behavioral Preferences and Built Environment matter?

Provisionally accepted
Ning Qiu Ning Qiu 1Wen Li Wen Li 1Danrui Cui Danrui Cui 2Mengbing Du Mengbing Du 3Zibo Xing Zibo Xing 4,5Dongxu Cui Dongxu Cui 1HAN Xinyu HAN Xinyu 1*
  • 1 Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, China
  • 2 Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
  • 3 Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • 4 Beijing Polytechnic, Beijing, Beijing, China
  • 5 Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study investigates the causal relationship between long-duration commuting and health, assessing how behavioral preferences and built environments influence this dynamic. Utilizing survey data from Jinan, China's most congested city, this study employs Generalized Propensity Score Matching (GPSM) to assess the nonlinear relationships between commuting time and self-rated health. The results indicate that commuting for less than 21 minutes is beneficial to health, the negative effects gradually diminish when exceeding 42 minutes, and are most pronounced at 60 minutes.Heterogeneity analysis shows that women and older adults are more sensitive to long commutes but, together with higher income levels, experience delayed onset of negative effects. Although active commuting generally offers health benefits, it can potentially worsen the commuting-health relationship if extended beyond certain durations. In contrast, regular physical activity continuously enhances a positive influence on this relationship. Moreover, perceived built environment such as residential greenery and walkability contribute to better commuting-health nexus by mitigating the stress associated with commuting. This study deepens our understanding of the non-linear causal relationship between commuting and health, transcending simple correlations to inform targeted interventions that enhance urban health outcomes.

    Keywords: Commuting time, self-rated health, Group heterogeneity, Active commuting, physical activity, Perceived built environment

    Received: 20 Jun 2024; Accepted: 05 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Qiu, Li, Cui, Du, Xing, Cui and Xinyu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: HAN Xinyu, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.