Developing Tailored Intervention Technology for Alternative Transportation

Climate Change Clearinghouse2014PDFTech ReportMundorf, NorbertRedding, ColleenPaiva, AndreaProchaska, James O.Brick, LeslieUniversity of Rhode Island. Dept. of Communications StudiesUniversity of Rhode Island. Transportation CenterUnited States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationUniversity of Rhode Island. Transportation CenterUnited StatesClimate changeGreenhouse gasesSustainable transportationTravel behaviorDecision makingCross sectional studiesCommutingMode choiceURITC PROJECT NO. 500- 2201- 0000- 0003027Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) transportation is a key contributor to climate change and numerous Tech Report environmental impacts. Alternative Transportation (AT) or Sustainable Transportation (ST), i.e. commuting by means Tech Report than SOV, represents one important step toward slowing climate change, improving communities and enhancing health. Communication and behavior change approaches can play a key role in encouraging commuters to choose more sustainable modes of transportation. The Transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) is a useful framework for understanding Transportation Behavior and ways to encourage sustainable alternatives. Few systematic applications of TTM to sustainable behavior exist to date. This report explains assessments and interventions designed to encourage Alternative Transportation. While the TTM Stages of Change Model is well established and world-renowned in the field of health promotion and related areas, very limited systematic work has been done related to transportation behavior. To develop tailored interventions, key TTM measures had to be developed: Stages for ST, Decisional Balance, and Self-Efficacy. These measures then became the cornerstone of TTM based interventions. Short and reliable measures for decisional balance and self-efficacy, and their associations with Stage of Changewere examined. University student volunteers (n=588) participated in this cross-sectional study. Through measurement development analyses using split-half cross validation procedures, we developed two internally consistent measures: a 20-item Decisional Balance measure with four hierarchically organized scales (Pros, Specific Pros, Cons, and Climate Change Doubt) and an 8-item Self-Efficacy scale. Both Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy confirmed predicted associations with Stage of Change, supporting the application of TTM to Sustainable Transportation.109