Urban air pollution perception through the experience of social practices: Talking about breathing with recreational runners in London
Antonia Hodgson, Russell Hitchings
ABSTRACT
This paper examines how interviews with outdoor recreational runners can help us understand how urban air pollution insinuates itself into the consciousness of those who may be breathing more polluted air than most. It begins by making the case for why studies of air pollution perception might turn to the subjectivities associated with taking part in relevant social practices. Then, with reference to debate about the extent to which groups of exercisers are thinking about certain aspects of what is physically happening during their exercise, we examine how outdoor recreational runners in London talk about the air that they breathe when running. We might imagine that this group would be particularly alive to urban air pollution in view of a presumed interest in physical performance and a personal history of running through various bodies of city air. However, through close scrutiny of their running talk, this paper documents how and why the suggestion of breathing polluted air is often placed beyond the realm of conscious thought for them during their runs. These findings point to particular strategies for encouraging healthy urban lifestyles and illustrate the potential of further studies on how social practices shape pollution perceptions.
Keywords: Air pollution perceptions; Recreational running ;Social practice theory ;Qualitative interviewing; Embodied exercise;Public health promotion
1. Introduction
In line with its continued growth in international popularity (Scheerder et al., 2015), recreational running has become one of the most common forms of exercise in the UK (Sport England, 2017). Running can take place in a variety of environments, can be done alone or in a group, is comparatively low-cost, and requires little specialist knowledge or experience to get started (Shipway and Holloway, 2010; England Athletics, 2013). All this makes running an easily accessible form of exercise, particularly when finding the time to exercise in modern societies means working around what are often felt to be increasingly busy schedules (Hitchings and Latham, 2016; England Athletics, 2017). From a public health perspective, this is a positive trend, since the health and wellbeing benefits of regular aerobic exercise are numerous. They include reduced risk of chronic health conditions such as coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes and stroke, as well as improving mental health by enhancing mood, self-esteem and reducing fatigue (Department of Health, 2011).
Yet the environments in which people run are not always conducive to health. Urban air quality is of particular concern in this regard due to the effects of emissions from vehicles, buildings and industry. So, though running is encouraged in terms of public health, those who run in cities, and who will likely be running at traffic level, are defined as an lsquo;at riskrsquo; group, due to their increased exposure to vehicular pollution, which in many cities is the main source of air pollution (Carlisle and Sharp, 2001; Greater London Authority, 2017a). Those focused on athletic impact therefore advise exercising away from the roadside wherever possible when running in cities (Carlisle and Sharp, 2001; Sharman et al., 2004). In the UK, London Air Quality Network (2017) goes as far as to suggest planning to avoid outdoor exercise during high pollution events and in heavily polluted areas. However, in most cities avoiding the roadside is difficult. Furthermore, it is not at all clear whether those who seek a healthy lifestyle through regular urban running are particularly attuned to the dangers of air pollution.
This paper examines how air pollution risk is refracted through the experienced breathing of London runners. Though other cities routinely experience far higher levels, pollution has recently become a priority for London policymakers as it has been recognised as one of the most polluted places in the country with over 9000 people being estimated to die each year as a result of its lsquo;dangerouslyrsquo; and lsquo;illegallyrsquo; poor air quality (Greater London Authority, 2017b:19). We begin by arguing that studies of air pollution risk perception might usefully turn to those taking part in relevant social practices. Then we consider what existing research suggests about the extent to which runners are actively thinking about the environments through which they run. After that, with reference to debate about the value of interviews in researching the exercise experience, we argue for scrutinising how established exercise lsquo;practicesrsquo; are partly sustained by particular combinations of talk and thought. This then leads to a discussion of the findings of an interview study with recreational runners in London and a consideration of how and why the suggestion of breathing polluted air when running is often beyond the realm of conscious thought for them. We end with the implications for public health promotion before arguing for the value of further studies on how social practices shape pollution perceptions in view of a prevailing focus on residential location.
2. Literature review
2.1. Urban air pollution perception and the exercise experience
As a product of modern industrial society, urban air pollution has become a significant public health hazard (Drsquo;Amato et al., 2010; Wakefield et al., 2001). One response from social researchers has been to explore how public lsquo;perceptionsrsquo; of this hazard can positively inform relevant policy (Bickerstaff and Walker, 2001). Some of them have particularly highlighted the role of direct sensory experience in shaping perceptions, with sight and smell being particularly recognised as key sensory
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