Active transportation and public transportation use to achieve physical activity recommendations? A combined GPS, accelerometer, and mobility survey study

Abstract

BackgroundAccurate information is lacking on the extent of transportation as a source of physical activity, on the physical activity gains from public transportation use, and on the extent to which population shifts in the use of transportation modes could increase the percentage of people reaching official physical activity recommendations.MethodsIn 2012–2013, 234 participants of the RECORD GPS Study (French Paris region, median age = 58) wore a portable GPS receiver and an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days and completed a 7-day GPS-based mobility survey (participation rate = 57.1%). Information on transportation modes and accelerometry data aggregated at the trip level [number of steps taken, energy expended, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary time] were available for 7,644 trips. Associations between transportation modes and accelerometer-derived physical activity were estimated at the trip level with multilevel linear models.ResultsParticipants spent a median of 1 h 58 min per day in transportation (8.2% of total time). Thirty-eight per-cent of steps taken, 31% of energy expended, and 33% of MVPA over 7 days were attributable to transportation. Walking and biking trips but also public transportation trips with all four transit modes examined were associated with greater steps, MVPA, and energy expenditure when compared to trips by personal motorized vehicle. Two simulated scenarios, implying a shift of approximately 14% and 33% of all motorized trips to public transportation or walking, were associated with a predicted 6 point and 13 point increase in the percentage of participants achieving the current physical activity recommendation.ConclusionsCollecting data with GPS receivers, accelerometers, and a GPS-based electronic mobility survey of activities and transportation modes allowed us to investigate relationships between transportation modes and physical activity at the trip level. Our findings suggest that an increase in active transportation participation and public transportation use may have substantial impacts on the percentage of people achieving physical activity recommendations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-014-0124-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Habitual Physical Activity in Adults Measured by Accelerometer in Compliance with Selected Health Recommendations

“…The consequences of various basic criteria of physical activity assessment, included in health-oriented recommendations, are quite significant differences in PA evalutaion even in the same study group (percentages of compliance with PA guidelines are unlike). A similar trend was observed in research conducted by Chastin et al (2009), Scheers et al (2013 and Chaix et al (2014) where the degree to which a PA recommendation was satisfied differed depending on the criterion used in the evaluation. There are still only few publications investigating this problem.…”

Using GPS, GIS, and Accelerometer Data to Predict Transportation Modes

“…As previously described in detail, the RE-CORD participants were recruited during preventive health checkups in 2007-2008 and 2011-2013, born between 1928 and 1978, and resided at baseline in 112 municipalities of the I ˘ l e-de-France Paris region (5,7,13,34). In the second wave of the study (8,26), after undergoing a medical checkup and filling computerized questionnaires at the IPC Medical Centre (10,23), 410 individuals were invited to participate in the RECORD GPS study (9), of which 247 subjects agreed to participate. Nine participants abandoned the study, and data collection failed for two participants, thereby yielding a final participation and completion rate of 57.6% (n = 236).…”

Physical activity level has a great influence on the nutritional status of adolescents: a review article

“…This discrepancies in the observed results might be influenced mainly by the methodological approach (type of PAL assessment tool, mean age of the responders, ethnicity of the included subjects, their habits, etc.) [8,9,29,32].…”

“…Despite all the health benefits of PA, people worldwide do not practise it in suitable amounts [6]. An even greater problem is that children are less involved in any form of regular PA today [4,7], which might by influenced by environmental factors [8] and lifestyle [9,10]. Several previous studies suggested a benefit of regular PA on the health of young people and their potential to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases in adulthood [4,[11][12][13].…”