New tool measures urban commute stress, revealing hidden costs of poor transit
Researchers have created the first validated survey to measure how people experience getting around cities in Latin America and border regions—capturing the strain that bad commutes place on mental and physical health. The tool could help city planners and policymakers identify which transit problems hit residents hardest and justify investments in mobility infrastructure.
Originaltitel: Psychometric Design and Validation of the Urban Mobility Experiences Scale
Urban mobility plays a key role in territorial equity, access to services, and population well-being, as unfavorable mobility experiences are associated with stress and physical and mental deterioration. However, in Latin American and border cities, validated instruments for comprehensively assessing these experiences remain scarce. This study aimed to design and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Urban Mobility Experiences Scale [UMES]. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 423 adults from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, selected through convenience sampling. The initial UMES consisted of 24 items distributed across five conceptual dimensions. Content validity was assessed by nine experts using Aiken’s V coefficient, while construct validity was examined through exploratory factor analysis with principal axis factoring and PROMAX rotation. Data adequacy was verified using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. Internal consistency was estimated using McDonald’s Omega. All items demonstrated adequate content validity (V ≥ 0.80). Five factors were identified, explaining 53.6% of the total variance, with factor loadings above 0.40. Reliability was acceptable across all dimensions (ω ≥ 0.70), and overall internal consistency was high (ω = 0.912). The UMES is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing urban mobility experiences in intermediate and border cities and may inform evidence-based policies promoting equity, sustainability, and urban well-being.