ORCID Profile
0000-0001-7711-7141
Current Organisation
Vlaamse instelling voor technologisch onderzoek
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Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 06-05-2019
DOI: 10.2196/11492
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2018.06.023
Abstract: In the fight against rising overweight and obesity levels, and unhealthy urban environments, the renaissance of active mobility (cycling and walking as a transport mode) is encouraging. Transport mode has been shown to be associated to body mass index (BMI), yet there is limited longitudinal evidence demonstrating causality. We aimed to associate transport mode and BMI cross-sectionally, but also prospectively in the first ever European-wide longitudinal study on transport and health. Data were from the PASTA project that recruited adults in seven European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Oerebro, Rome, Vienna, Zurich) to complete a series of questionnaires on travel behavior, physical activity levels, and BMI. To assess the association between transport mode and BMI as well as change in BMI we performed crude and adjusted linear mixed-effects modeling for cross-sectional (n = 7380) and longitudinal (n = 2316) data, respectively. Cross-sectionally, BMI was 0.027 kg/m Our analyses showed that people lower their BMI when starting or increasing cycling, demonstrating the health benefits of active mobility.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 05-07-2018
Abstract: ufficient s le size and minimal s le bias are core requirements in empirical data analyses. Combining opportunistic recruitment with an online survey and data collection platform yields new benefits compared to traditional recruitment approaches. he objective of this paper is to report on the success of different recruitment methods to obtain participants’ characteristics, participation behavior, recruitment rates, and representativeness of the s le. longitudinal online survey was implemented as part of the European PASTA project, which was online between November 2014 and December 2016. During this period participants in seven European cities were recruited on a rolling basis. For all cities to reach a sufficient number of adult participants a standardized guide on recruitment strategy was developed. In order to make use of the strengths and to minimize weakness a combination of different opportunistic recruitment methods was applied. In addition, the city of Oerebro applied random s ling approach. In order to reduce attrition rate and improve real-time monitoring the online platform featured a participant and a researchers` user interface and dashboard. total of 10,691 participants were recruited. Most people found out about the survey through their workplace or employer (21.5 %), outreach promotion (20.8 %), and social media (17.4 %). The average number of questionnaires filled-in per participant varied between the cities, with the highest number in Zurich (11.0 ± 0.33) and the lowest in Oerebro (4.8 ± 0.17). Collaboration with local organizations, the use of Facebook and mailing lists, and direct street recruitment were the most effective approaches in reaching a high share of participants (p = .001). Under consideration of invested working hours Facebook (p = .001) was one of the most time-efficient methods. Compared to the cities census data, the composition of study participants was broadly representative in terms of gender distribution, however included younger and better educated participants. e observed that offering a mixed recruitment approach was very effective in achieving a high participation rate. The highest attrition rate and the lowest average number of questionnaires filled-in per participant were observed in Oerebro, who also recruited participants through random s ling. The findings suggest that people that are more interested in the topic are more willing to participate and to stay in a survey than those who are selected randomly and may not have a strong connection to the research topic. Whereas direct face-to-face contacts were very effective with respect to the number of recruited participants recruiting people through social media was not only effective, but also very time-efficient. The collected data is based on one of the largest recruited longitudinal s les with a common recruitment strategy in different European cities.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2018.04.040
Abstract: Physical activity (PA) in urban environments may lead to increased inhalation of air pollutants. As PA and air pollution (AP) have respectively beneficial and detrimental effects on the cardiorespiratory system, the responses to these exposures can interact. Therefore, we assessed the short-term effects of PA, AP and their interaction on a set of subclinical cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes in a panel of healthy adults: heart rate variability (HRV), retinal vessel diameters, lung function and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). One hundred twenty two participants measured their PA level and exposure to black carbon (BC), a marker of AP exposure, with wearable sensors during an unscripted week in three different seasons. The study was part of the PASTA project in three European cities (Antwerp: 41 participants, Barcelona: 41 participants, London: 40 participants). At the end of each measurement week, the health outcomes were evaluated. Responses to PA, BC and their interaction were assessed with mixed effect regression models. Separate models were used to account for a 2-h and 24-h time window. During the 2-h time window, HRV and lung function changed statistically significantly in response to PA (METhours) and logarithmic BC (%change). Changes in HRV marked an increased sympathetic tone with both PA (logarithmic LF/HF: +7% p < 0.01) and BC (logarithmic HF: -19% p < 0.05). In addition, PA provoked bronchodilation which was illustrated by a significant increase in lung function (FEV
No related grants have been discovered for Arnout Standaert.