Mobility among older adults: Deconstructing the effects of motility and movement on wellbeing

Timothée Cuignet, Camille Perchoux, Geoffrey Caruso, Olivier Klein, Sylvain Klein, Basile Chaix, Yan Kestens and Philippe Gerber ()
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Timothée Cuignet: Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Luxembourg
Camille Perchoux: Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Urban Development and Mobility, Luxembourg
Olivier Klein: Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Urban Development and Mobility, Luxembourg
Sylvain Klein: Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Urban Development and Mobility, Luxembourg
Basile Chaix: Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Nemesis Research Team, France
Yan Kestens: École de Santé Publique de l’ Université de Montréal, Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Canada

Urban Studies, 2020, vol. 57, issue 2, 383-401

Abstract: Daily mobility has been shown to contribute to the wellbeing of older adults, as it promotes healthy and independent living. However, very little is known about how the complex relationships between locations, geographic environments and daily mobility relate to wellbeing. In the current paper, we rely on the concept of ‘motility’– defined as potential mobility– and the concept of ‘movement’– defined as actual mobility– to take a step forwards in disentangling the relationship between mobility and wellbeing. We further examine how both motility and movement relate to two complementary definitions of wellbeing: hedonic wellbeing as a measurement of happiness, and eudaimonic wellbeing as the actualisation of an individual’s human potential. To investigate this relationship, we draw up a conceptual framework stressing pathways linking mobility to wellbeing, which we empirically test using structural equation modelling on a stratified sample of 470 older adults. We first quantitatively confirm that motility is defined by access, competences, appropriation and attitudes to modes of transportation. We then observe that motility has direct effects on eudaimonic wellbeing and, to a lesser extent, on hedonic wellbeing. Part of the motility effects on wellbeing are mediated by movement. Separating mobility into motility and movement stresses the independent and complementary role that potential and realised mobility play in shaping older adults’ wellbeing.

Keywords: health; method; neighbourhood; planning; transport; å ¥åº·; 方法; 街区; 规划; 交通 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:57:y:2020:i:2:p:383-401

DOI: 10.1177/0042098019852033

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