Walking: from promotion to motivation: A Self-determination-theory-centered approach

• Autores: Hernán Alberto Ortíz Ramírez
• Directores de la Tesis: Álvaro Rodríguez Valencia (dir. tes.), Jonas De Vos (dir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) ( Colombia ) en 2023
• Idioma: inglés
• Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Olga Lucía Sarmiento Dueñas (presid.), Ricardo Hurtubia (presid.), Pauline Van den Berg (presid.)
• Enlaces
  • Tesis en acceso abierto en: hdl.handle.net
• Resumen

  • Walking and other non-motorized modes of transportation are commonly regarded as integral components of transportation systems with a focus on safety, accessibility, and sustainability. As a result, their promotion and integration play a crucial role in achieving sustainable development goals. Over the past three decades, research within the transportation field, particularly in travel behavior, has been dedicated to comprehending methods to enhance and encourage walking. Despite extensive efforts and a wide array of findings, there has been limited integration of motivational theories aimed at explaining walking behavior. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the potential role of motivational theories in elucidating walking behavior and the means to motivate it. Grounded in the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a survey was designed to assess the interrelationships and impacts of motivation on walking behavior, utilizing latent variable-based modeling. This study was conducted in Bogota, Colombia. The findings revealed that utilitarian and recreational walking is influenced by motivation. Motivational styles were found to be contingent upon the extent of contextual support for three fundamental psychological needs. Additionally, the study identified that the internalization of motives is linked to elevated levels and quality of walking motivation. Among the results, a significant discovery was the connection between motivated walking and subsequent well-being outcomes. The implications of this research extend to urban and transportation planning. Notably, the study demonstrated that initiatives promoting public transit, bicycle travel, and demand management related to private vehicles can enhance walking motivation. Consequently, this research offers valuable evidence to the transportation research domain, underscoring the relationship between motivation and travel behavior. These insights hold the potential to enrich the development of future models within this field.