Abstract
Background Travel outside the local area allows people to meet others and access a wide selection of services and opportunities. However, travel can be constrained by the lack of good transport or by personal factors. This paper investigates whether these constraints are associated with poor self-rated health, and the extent to which the association is mediated by reduced social participation.
Method Respondents in a survey in the North of England (n = 2747) stated levels of constraints to trip frequency, number of places visited, travel distance, and travel mode for trips more than 15 miles (24 km) away from home. Path analysis tested associations between these constraints, indicators of social participation (seeing family and friends frequently and being a member of clubs or societies), and self-rated health.
Results Constraints to the number of places visited were associated with self-rated health via reduced social participation. Constraints to trip frequency had a negative association with self-rated health via pathways other than social participation. Constraints to travel distance were not significant and constraints to car use and public transport use were associated with self-rated health via other constraints. The results varied by age group and were robust to changes in variable specification and treatment of missing data.