The Commuting Patterns and Health Effects among Urban Residents in Low-Visibility Air Pollution Environments: An Empirical Study of Gaoyou City, China

Abstract

Low-visibility air pollution frequently occurs in the major cities of China and affects residents’ physical and mental health. This study, using Gaoyou City as a case study, selected 10 typical residential communities with different locations and types and conducted a questionnaire survey for two consecutive weeks to measure commuting behavior characteristics and health effects among residents in environments with different degrees of air pollution from November to December 2022. Concerning commuting distance, the average straight distance for short-distance commuting was 1.4 km, and the median commuting distance was 13.2 km. In air-polluted environments, residents’ commuting times were mainly concentrated within 1.5 h, with a majority taking 20 min to 30 min. The working and living spaces presented a circular core distribution pattern, with low-visibility air pollution significantly affecting the choice of commuting mode and having an indirect impact on health. The proportion of people who chose bus commuting significantly increased as air pollution changed from mild to moderate, whereas the proportion of people choosing slower commuting, such as walking, significantly decreased. While no significant fluctuations in physical health levels occurred, psychological health levels significantly decreased. In high air pollution environments, residents’ sleep quality, attitudes towards life, emotional states, and other assessed factors exhibited an inverted U-shaped correlation with commuting patterns. Low-visibility air pollution indirectly damaged the health of residents by affecting their commuting patterns, reducing their physical activity intensity and commuting options, and increasing their psychological stress and anxiety.