Perception of place, active transportation, and community participation: A mediation analysis

Introduction: Active transportation is associated with many benefits, including community participation, a salient form of social capital. Positive neighborhood perceptions are likewise associated with higher social capital, including community involvement. However, little is known about how active transportation may mediate the relationship between perception of place and community participation. Methods: Using representative data from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (n = 1758), path analysis within a structural equation modeling framework assessed mediation. Covariates include age, education, race/ethnicity, gender, and community size. Results: Results suggest perception of place (well-maintained, interesting places with walkable destinations) has a relationship to community participation (p = 0.001); however, when assessed for mediation through active transportation, only an indirect effect remained significant (p = 0.003), indicating the relationship between perception of place and community participation occurs through active transportation. Conclusions: Investing in bike and pedestrian infrastructure that connects places, creates interesting spaces, and protects funding for routine maintenance is critical to support higher participation in active transportation as well as higher social capital in the form of greater involvement in community participation. Inequities in maintenance and infrastructure may impact not only active transportation, but community participation as well.