Increasing active travel, active travel chains and device-measured physical activity in young people: the role of sociology in a mixed-methods interventional study

Chauffeuring children and young people to school and hobbies has become a common mobility practice in Finland during the past decades. Active travel is further threatened by centralisation of services, affecting especially those residing outside of urban centres. There is a need to develop and test interventions which promote both public transport and active travel, and that target both the individual and environmental level.

Using a mixed-methods approach, this study will determine, in a 12-month cluster-randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of a multi-component intervention to increase active travel and active travel chains. Participants are 13–15-year-old youth (n=approx. 300) in two Finnish mid-sized cities with rural residential areas. The components target for instance accessibility and attitudes.
Efficacy of the intervention is measured by changes in daily activity duration, travel mode durations, attitudes and norms, among others. The sociological investigation includes examining whether changes vary by factors such as gender, place of residence and car ownership. Moreover, a qualitative part will explore the socio-cultural contexts of and mechanisms behind everyday mobility patterns.

The main significance of the sociological investigation lies in deepening the understanding of the intervention effects. It also enables interpretations on the role of structural factors such as socioeconomic and socio-spatial factors on travel mode choices.

Multidisciplinary approaches are valuable when studying mobility practices, as influencing them requires multisectoral policy efforts. If proven effective, this multilevel intervention has potential to be applicable and scalable at a population level for facilitating a just mobility transition.