Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): protocol for a multi-centre, longitudinal study

BMC Public Health, Nov 2015

Background Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases, yet many are not sufficiently active. The Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) study aims to better understand active mobility (walking and cycling for transport solely or in combination with public transport) as an innovative approach to integrate physical activity into individuals’ everyday lives. The PASTA study will collect data of multiple cities in a longitudinal cohort design to study correlates of active mobility, its effect on overall physical activity, crash risk and exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Methods/Design A set of online questionnaires incorporating gold standard approaches from the physical activity and transport fields have been developed, piloted and are now being deployed in a longitudinal study in seven European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Oerebro, Rome, Vienna, Zurich). In total, 14000 adults are being recruited (2000 in each city). A first questionnaire collects baseline information; follow-up questionnaires sent every 13 days collect prospective data on travel behaviour, levels of physical activity and traffic safety incidents. Self-reported data will be validated with objective data in subsamples using conventional and novel methods. Accelerometers, GPS and tracking apps record routes and activity. Air pollution and physical activity are measured to study their combined effects on health biomarkers. Exposure-adjusted crash risks will be calculated for active modes, and crash location audits are performed to study the role of the built environment. Ethics committees in all seven cities have given independent approval for the study. Discussion The PASTA study collects a wealth of subjective and objective data on active mobility and physical activity. This will allow the investigation of numerous correlates of active mobility and physical activity using a data set that advances previous efforts in its richness, geographical coverage and comprehensiveness. Results will inform new health impact assessment models and support efforts to promote and facilitate active mobility in cities.

A PDF file should load here. If you do not see its contents the file may be temporarily unavailable at the journal website or you do not have a PDF plug-in installed and enabled in your browser.

Alternatively, you can download the file locally and open with any standalone PDF reader:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/s12889-015-2453-3.pdf

Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): protocol for a multi-centre, longitudinal study

Dons et al. BMC Public Health Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): protocol for a multi-centre, longitudinal study Evi Dons 1 3 Thomas Götschi 2 Mark Nieuwenhuijsen 5 6 7 Audrey de Nazelle 4 Esther Anaya 4 Ione Avila-Palencia 5 6 7 Christian Brand 9 Tom Cole-Hunter 5 6 7 Mailin Gaupp-Berghausen 8 Sonja Kahlmeier 2 Michelle Laeremans 0 1 Natalie Mueller 5 6 7 Juan Pablo Orjuela 4 Elisabeth Raser 8 David Rojas-Rueda 5 6 7 Arnout Standaert 1 Erik Stigell 10 Tina Uhlmann 8 Regine Gerike 8 11 Luc Int Panis 0 1 0 Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Hasselt University , Wetenschapspark 5/6, 3590 Diepenbeek , Belgium 1 Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) , Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol , Belgium 2 Physical Activity and Health Unit , Epidemiology , Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich , Seilergraben 49, 8001 Zurich , Switzerland 3 Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University , Agoralaan building D, 3590 Diepenbeek , Belgium 4 Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London , Exhibition Road, South Kensington Campus, SW7 2AZ London , UK 5 CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid , Spain 6 Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , C/Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona , Spain 7 Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , C/Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona , Spain 8 University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Institute for Transport Studies , Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna , Austria 9 University of Oxford (UOXF) - Transport Studies Unit , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY , UK 10 Trivector Traffic AB , Stockholm , Sweden 11 Dresden University of Technology, Chair of Integrated Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering , 01062 Dresden , Germany Background: Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases, yet many are not sufficiently active. The Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) study aims to better understand active mobility (walking and cycling for transport solely or in combination with public transport) as an innovative approach to integrate physical activity into individuals' everyday lives. The PASTA study will collect data of multiple cities in a longitudinal cohort design to study correlates of active mobility, its effect on overall physical activity, crash risk and exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Methods/Design: A set of online questionnaires incorporating gold standard approaches from the physical activity and transport fields have been developed, piloted and are now being deployed in a longitudinal study in seven European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Oerebro, Rome, Vienna, Zurich). In total, 14000 adults are being recruited (2000 in each city). A first questionnaire collects baseline information; follow-up questionnaires sent every 13 days collect prospective data on travel behaviour, levels of physical activity and traffic safety incidents. Self-reported data will be validated with objective data in subsamples using conventional and novel methods. Accelerometers, GPS and tracking apps record routes and activity. Air pollution and physical activity are measured to study their combined effects on health biomarkers. Exposure-adjusted crash risks will be calculated for active modes, and crash location audits are performed to study the role of the built environment. Ethics committees in all seven cities have given independent approval for the study. Discussion: The PASTA study collects a wealth of subjective and objective data on active mobility and physical activity. This will allow the investigation of numerous correlates of active mobility and physical activity using a data set that advances previous efforts in its richness, geographical coverage and comprehensiveness. Results will inform new health impact assessment models and support efforts to promote and facilitate active mobility in cities. Physical activity; Walking; Cycling; Travel behaviour; Air pollution; Traffic safety; Study protocol; Longitudinal Background Physical inactivity has emerged as a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and is estimated to cause nearly 3.2 million premature deaths per year worldwide [ 1 ]. It is recommended that in a typical week adults perform at least 150 min of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity (PA), or alternatively at least 75 min of vigorous intensity aerobic PA or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity [ 2 ]. However, globally 23 % of adults, and more than 40 % of adults in high income countries remain “physically inactive” [ 3 ], i.e. have an activity level insufficient to meet these recommendations. Active mobility (AM), namely walking and cycling for transport solely or in combination with public transport, is well suited for integrating health-promoting PA as part of daily routines such as to travel (...truncated)


This is a preview of a remote PDF: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/s12889-015-2453-3.pdf

Evi Dons, Thomas Götschi, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Audrey de Nazelle, Esther Anaya, Ione Avila-Palencia, Christian Brand, Tom Cole-Hunter, Mailin Gaupp-Berghausen, Sonja Kahlmeier, Michelle Laeremans, Natalie Mueller, Juan Orjuela, Elisabeth Raser, David Rojas-Rueda, Arnout Standaert, Erik Stigell, Tina Uhlmann, Regine Gerike, Luc Int Panis. Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): protocol for a multi-centre, longitudinal study, BMC Public Health, 2015, pp. 1126, 15, DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2453-3