Perceived heat threshold and transit use in a humid subtropical climate
Abstract
Rising temperatures driven by climate change and development patterns affect travel behavior, including public transit use and active transport; however, most studies rely on ambient temperature measures and assume uniform behavioral responses. In this study, we investigated how individuals’ perceived heat thresholds are associated with transit use and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), among adults in a humid subtropical climate. We used data from a 2022 cross-sectional survey of adults in Austin, Texas (n = 1,087). Respondents self-reported their perceived heat threshold (i.e., the temperature at which they would not go on a walk outside), weekly frequency of using public transit, and MVPA levels via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form. We used ordinal logistic regression to assess the association between perceived heat threshold and transit use (0, 1–2, ≥3 days), multinomial logistic regression to examine the association within transit use categories (0, 1–2, 3–4, ≥5 days), and multivariable linear regression to assess the association with MVPA. Individuals who reported higher perceived heat thresholds had higher odds of using public transit. This association was primarily driven by the transition from non-use to occasional transit use (1–2 days/week), with no evidence that perceived heat thresholds were associated with more frequent transit use. In contrast, perceived heat threshold was not significantly associated with MVPA. Our findings suggest that individual heat-related behavioral thresholds may help explain individual mobility decisions, but not overall physical activity levels.
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BibTeX
@article{murray2026perceived,
title = {{Perceived heat threshold and transit use in a humid subtropical climate}},
author = {Tyson Murray and Baojiang Chen and Jennifer Vanos and Paquito Bernard and Kevin Lanza},
journal = {Travel Behaviour and Society},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1016/j.tbs.2026.101392},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05749496v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Perceived heat threshold and transit use in a humid subtropical climate
AU - Tyson Murray
AU - Baojiang Chen
AU - Jennifer Vanos
AU - Paquito Bernard
AU - Kevin Lanza
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/29
JO - Travel Behaviour and Society
DO - 10.1016/j.tbs.2026.101392
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05749496v1
AB - Rising temperatures driven by climate change and development patterns affect travel behavior, including public transit use and active transport; however, most studies rely on ambient temperature measures and assume uniform behavioral responses. In this study, we investigated how individuals’ perceived heat thresholds are associated with transit use and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), among adults in a humid subtropical climate. We used data from a 2022 cross-sectional survey of adults in Austin, Texas (n = 1,087). Respondents self-reported their perceived heat threshold (i.e., the temperature at which they would not go on a walk outside), weekly frequency of using public transit, and MVPA levels via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form. We used ordinal logistic regression to assess the association between perceived heat threshold and transit use (0, 1–2, ≥3 days), multinomial logistic regression to examine the association within transit use categories (0, 1–2, 3–4, ≥5 days), and multivariable linear regression to assess the association with MVPA. Individuals who reported higher perceived heat thresholds had higher odds of using public transit. This association was primarily driven by the transition from non-use to occasional transit use (1–2 days/week), with no evidence that perceived heat thresholds were associated with more frequent transit use. In contrast, perceived heat threshold was not significantly associated with MVPA. Our findings suggest that individual heat-related behavioral thresholds may help explain individual mobility decisions, but not overall physical activity levels.
SN - 2214-367X
SN - 2214-367X
ER -