The effects of daily spatiotemporal variables and physical activities at workplaces on physical and mental health

Abstract

Previous studies have shown the effects of health on activity-travel patterns or spatiotemporal variables. Health is seen as another aspect of capability factor in the time-space prism perspective. However, it is hardly ignored that the effects of activity-travel patterns or other spatiotemporal variables also shape people’s health. Physical activities were assumed to mediate the effects of activity-travel patterns on health. This study addresses how vigorous and moderate physical activities at workplaces (vigorous and moderate PA work) mediate the relationship between spatiotemporal variables in particular activity-travel patterns and physical and mental health. Using the modified Structural Equation Modelling, this study also includes the effects of day-to-day variability of activity-travel patterns disregarded by previous studies. Different from previous studies, the definition of PA work also incorporates the interactions of the average time per day and the average number of days per week to engage in vigorous and moderate PA work. By including day-to-day activity-travel patterns, some activity-travel pattern variables showed significant impacts on physical health contradicting previous studies. However, as hypothesized, vigorous and moderate PA work mediated the effects of activity patterns on mental health. Against results in developed countries, PA work positively correlates with positive mental and physical health.

Keywords:

• Spatiotemporal variables
• activity-travel patterns
• physical activity
• physical health
• mental health

Reviewing Editor:

• Shukla Sanjay Kumar
• Senior Editor
• Edith Cowan University
• Australia

Subjects:

• Transport Policy
• Transport & Vehicle Engineering
• Civil, Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering
• Engineering & Technology
• Built Environment
• Health and Safety
• Health and Social Care
• Health & Society

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).