Considering the Potential Health Impacts of Electric Scooters: An Analysis of User Reported Behaviors in Provo, Utah

Jeffrey Glenn, Madeline Bluth, Mannon Christianson, Jaymie Pressley, Austin Taylor, Gregory S. Macfarlane and Robert A. Chaney
Additional contact information
Jeffrey Glenn: Department of Public Health, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Madeline Bluth: Department of Public Health, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Mannon Christianson: Department of Public Health, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Jaymie Pressley: Department of Public Health, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Austin Taylor: Community and Neighborhood Services Department, City of Provo, Provo, UT 84601, USA
Gregory S. Macfarlane: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Robert A. Chaney: Department of Public Health, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Electric scooters (e-scooters) are an increasingly popular form of transportation in urban areas. While research on this topic has focused primarily on injuries, there are multiple mechanisms by which e-scooter share programs may impact health. The aim of this study is to explore the health-related behaviors of e-scooter users and to discuss their implications for public health. Data were collected using an online survey emailed to registered e-scooter users. A total of 1070 users completed the survey. Descriptive variable statistics and chi-squared analysis were performed to determine variable dependent relationships and equality of proportions. The most common destinations reported were “just riding around for fun”, home, and dining/shopping. The two most common modes of transportation that would have been used if e-scooters were not available were walking (43.5%) and using a personal vehicle (28.5%). Riding behavior was equally mixed between on the street, on the sidewalk, and equal amounts of both. e-Scooters in Provo are likely having both positive (e.g., air pollution) and negative impacts on health (e.g., injuries, physical inactivity). Future research should further explore patterns of e-scooter use and explicitly examine the linkages between e-scooters and areas of health beyond just injuries.

Keywords: electric scooters; urban transport; public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/17/6344/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/17/6344/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:17:p:6344-:d:406831

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().