A methodology to leverage cross-sectional accelerometry to capture weather's influence in active living research

OBJECTIVES: While active living interventions focus on modifying urban design and built environment, weather variation, a phenomenon that perennially interacts with these environmental factors, is consistently underexplored. This study's objective is to develop a methodology to link weather data with existing cross-sectional accelerometry data in capturing weather variation. METHODS: Saskatoon's neighbourhoods were classified into grid-pattern, fractured grid-pattern and curvilinear neighbourhoods. Thereafter, 137 Actical accelerometers were used to derive moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) data from 455 children in 25 sequential one-week cycles between April and June, 2010. This sequential deployment was necessary to overcome the difference in the ratio between the sample size and the number of accelerometers. A data linkage methodology was developed, where each accelerometry cycle was matched with localized (Saskatoon-specific) weather patterns derived from Environment Canada. Statistical analyses were conducted to depict the influence of urban design on MVPA and SB after factoring in localized weather patterns. RESULTS: Integration of cross-sectional accelerometry with localized weather patterns allowed the capture of weather variation during a single seasonal transition. Overall, during the transition from spring to summer in Saskatoon, MVPA increased and SB decreased during warmer days. After factoring in localized weather, a recurring observation was that children residing in fractured grid-pattern neighbourhoods accumulated significantly lower MVPA and higher SB. CONCLUSION: The proposed methodology could be utilized to link globally available cross-sectional accelerometry data with place-specific weather data to understand how built and social environmental factors interact with varying weather patterns in influencing active living. KEY WORDS: Weather; physical activity; sedentary lifestyle OBJECTIFS: Les interventions de promotion de la vie active cherchent surtout a modifier l'amenagement urbain et le milieu bati, mais les variations meteorologiques, un phenomene qui interagit perpetuellement avec ces facteurs environnementaux, sont systematiquement sous-explorees. Notre etude vise a elaborer une methode pour relier les donnees meteorologiques aux donnees transversales existantes obtenues par accelerometrie pour capter les variations meteorologiques. METHODE: Nous avons classe les quartiers de Saskatoon en quartiers a agencement quadrille, en quartiers scindes a agencement quadrille et en quartiers a agencement curviligne. Par la suite, nous avons utilise 137 accelerometres Actical pour recueillir des donnees sur l'activite physique d'intensite moderee a elevee (APIME) et le comportement sedentaire (CS) aupres de 455 enfants au cours de 25 cycles sequentiels d'une semaine entre avril et juin 2010. Ce deploiement sequentiel etait necessaire pour surmonter la difference de ratio entre la taille de l'echantillon et le nombre d'accelerometres. Nous avons elabore une methode de maillage de donnees oU chaque cycle d'accelerometrie etait assorti aux conditions atmospheriques locales (propres a Saskatoon) selon Environnement Canada. Nous avons mene des analyses statistiques pour depeindre l'influence de l'amenagement urbain sur l'APIME et le CS apres la prise en compte des conditions atmospheriques locales. RESULTATS: L'integration de l'accelerometrie transversale et des conditions atmospheriques locales a permis de saisir les variations meteorologiques au cours d'une meme transition saisonniere. Globalement, durant la transition du printemps a l'ete a Saskatoon, l'APIME a augmente et le CS a diminue les jours les plus chauds. Apres la prise en compte des conditions meteorologiques locales, nous avons observe a plusieurs reprises que les enfants vivant dans les quartiers scindes a agencement quadrille presentaient cumulativement une APIME significativement plus faible et un CS significativement plus eleve. CONCLUSION: La methode proposee pourrait servir a relier des donnees transversales obtenues par accelerometrie disponibles mondialement et des donnees meteorologiques propres a un lieu pour comprendre comment le milieu bati et les facteurs de l'environnement social interagissent avec diverses conditions atmospheriques pour influencer la vie active. MOTS CLES: temps meteorologique; activite physique; mode de vie sedentaire La traduction du resume se trouve a la fin de l'article. Can J Public Health 2016;107(1):e30-e36 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.107.5242
Active living research is gaining global recognition as it has the potential to address health inequities by informing upstream policy interventions for creating active urban communities. (1) While active living [...]