Thinking about changing mobility practices: how a social practice approach can help.

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Public Health
• Social Practice Theory
• Mobility Studies

Background:

• Physical activity promotion policies have yielded limited success.
• Existing approaches often overlook the social and cultural dimensions of behavior.
• Bourdieu's theory of practice offers a framework for analyzing social change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the conditions that enable or hinder changes in mobility practices.
• To apply a social practice framing to understand transformations in physical activity.
• To identify effective strategies for encouraging physical activity through policy.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of qualitative data from three case studies.
• Case studies focused on transformations in cycling in London and fell running in the English Lake District.
• Application of Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus, and doxa to analyze practice change.

Main Results:

• Three modes of transformation were identified: unthinkable, thwarted, and resisted.
• The interrelationship between field, habitus, and doxa influences the possibility of practice change.
• Tacit, practical knowledge is more influential than reasoned accounts in making change thinkable.
• Congruence between new social fields and existing habitus facilitates change.
• Tightly aligned field and habitus reduce the conditions for change.

Conclusions:

• Shifting focus from individual behavior to social practice is crucial for public health.
• Interventions should target malleable social fields to influence mobility practices.
• Understanding the social context of practice is more effective than environmental or behavioral interventions.