IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v14y2017i10p1257-d115833.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Socio-Ecological Intervention to Promote Active Commuting to Work: Protocol and Baseline Findings of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Finland

Author

Listed:
  • Minna Aittasalo

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

  • Johanna Tiilikainen

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

  • Kari Tokola

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

  • Timo Seimelä

    (Department of Transport and Streets, City of Tampere, P.O. Box 487, 33101 Tampere, Finland)

  • Satu-Maaria Sarjala

    (School of Architecture, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 600, 33101 Tampere, Finland)

  • Pasi Metsäpuro

    (WSP Finland Ltd., Kelloportinkatu 1 D, 33100 Tampere, Finland)

  • Ari Hynynen

    (School of Architecture, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 600, 33101 Tampere, Finland)

  • Jaana Suni

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

  • Harri Sievänen

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

  • Henri Vähä-Ypyä

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

  • Kalle Vaismaa

    (WSP Finland Ltd., Kelloportinkatu 1 D, 33100 Tampere, Finland)

  • Olli Vakkala

    (Ecofellows Ltd., Valssipadonraitti 3, 33100 Tampere, Finland)

  • Charlie Foster

    (Centre for Exercise Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TZ, UK)

  • Sylvia Titze

    (Institute of Sport Science, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, 8010 Graz, Austria)

  • Tommi Vasankari

    (UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, P.O. Box 30, 33501 Tampere, Finland)

Abstract

Active commuting to work (ACW) is beneficial to traffic, environment and population health. More evidence is needed on effective ways to promote ACW. This paper describes the protocol and baseline findings of a cluster-randomized controlled study, which aims to promote ACW with multilevel strategies in two large workplace areas in Tampere, Finland. In Phase 1, the impacts of environmental strategies (trail improvements) were evaluated in 11 workplaces within Area 1. In Phase 2, five more workplaces were recruited from Area 2 to evaluate the impacts of social and behavioral strategies customized for each workplace. For this purpose, the workplaces in both areas were randomly assigned into experimental group (EXP, n = 6 + 2), which promoted ACW with social and behavioral strategies or into comparison group (COM, n = 5 + 3), which participated in the data collection only. The primary indicator in both phases is the change in employees’ ACW. Secondary indicators are e.g., changes in employees’ self-rated health, wellbeing at work, restrictions to and motivation for ACW, adverse effects due to ACW and the use and quality of the main walking and cycling trails. Also process, efficiency and environmental evaluation is included. The study is the first one in Finland to combine interdisciplinary collaboration between practitioners and researchers working in the fields of transportation, urban design, physical activity and sustainable development to promote ACW. The findings benefit all stakeholders interested in promoting ACW in urban context.

Suggested Citation

  • Minna Aittasalo & Johanna Tiilikainen & Kari Tokola & Timo Seimelä & Satu-Maaria Sarjala & Pasi Metsäpuro & Ari Hynynen & Jaana Suni & Harri Sievänen & Henri Vähä-Ypyä & Kalle Vaismaa & Olli Vakkala &, 2017. "Socio-Ecological Intervention to Promote Active Commuting to Work: Protocol and Baseline Findings of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Finland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:10:p:1257-:d:115833
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/10/1257/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/10/1257/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kerstin G Reeuwijk & Suzan J W Robroek & Maurice A J Niessen & Roderik A Kraaijenhagen & Yvonne Vergouwe & Alex Burdorf, 2015. "The Prognostic Value of the Work Ability Index for Sickness Absence among Office Workers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-13, May.
    2. Martikainen, Pekka & Aromaa, Arpo & Heliövaara, Markku & Klaukka, Timo & Knekt, Paul & Maatela, Jouni & Lahelma, Eero, 1999. "Reliability of perceived health by sex and age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1117-1122, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Norbert Mundorf & Colleen A. Redding & Songtao Bao, 2018. "Sustainable Transportation and Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-4, March.
    2. Minna Aittasalo & Johanna Tiilikainen & Kari Tokola & Jaana Suni & Harri Sievänen & Henri Vähä-Ypyä & Tommi Vasankari & Timo Seimelä & Pasi Metsäpuro & Charlie Foster & Sylvia Titze, 2019. "Socio-Ecological Natural Experiment with Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Active Commuting to Work: Process Evaluation, Behavioral Impacts, and Changes in the Use and Quality of Walking and Cycl," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-18, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lylla Winzer & Rossarin Soottipong Gray, 2019. "The Role of Buddhist Practices in Happiness and Health in Thailand: A Structural Equation Model," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 411-425, February.
    2. Art van Schaaijk & Adnan Noor Baloch & Sara Thomée & Monique Frings-Dresen & Mats Hagberg & Karen Nieuwenhuijsen, 2020. "Mediating Factors for the Relationship between Stress and Work Ability over Time in Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Roos, Eva & Burström, Bo & Saastamoinen, Peppiina & Lahelma, Eero, 2005. "A comparative study of the patterning of women's health by family status and employment status in Finland and Sweden," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(11), pages 2443-2451, June.
    4. Johannes Carl & Eva Grüne & Johanna Popp & Klaus Pfeifer, 2020. "Physical Activity Promotion for Apprentices in Nursing Care and Automotive Mechatronics–Competence Counts More than Volume," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-16, January.
    5. Wiktoria Wróblewska, 2012. "Nierówności społeczne w stanie zdrowia w Polsce – analiza na podstawie samooceny stanu zdrowia oraz poziomu wykształcenia," Collegium of Economic Analysis Annals, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Economic Analysis, issue 28, pages 65-84.
    6. Dalstra, J.A.A. & Kunst, A.E. & Mackenbach, J.P., 2006. "A comparative appraisal of the relationship of education, income and housing tenure with less than good health among the elderly in Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(8), pages 2046-2060, April.
    7. Karmakar, Sunita D. & Breslin, F. Curtis, 2008. "The role of educational level and job characteristics on the health of young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 2011-2022, May.
    8. Ranu Sewdas & Sietske J Tamminga & Cécile R L Boot & Swenne G van den Heuvel & Angela G de Boer & Allard J van der Beek, 2018. "Differences in self-rated health and work ability between self-employed workers and employees: Results from a prospective cohort study in the Netherlands," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(11), pages 1-12, November.
    9. Nadine Häusler & Oliver Hämmig & Matthias Bopp, 2018. "Which Life Domains Impact Most on Self-Rated Health? A Cross-Cultural Study of Switzerland and its Neighbors," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(2), pages 787-802, September.
    10. Nicola Magnavita & Igor Meraglia & Giacomo Viti & Lorenzo Borghese, 2024. "The Work Ability Index (WAI) in the Healthcare Sector: A Cross-Sectional/Retrospective Assessment of the Questionnaire," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-17, March.
    11. Heggebø, Kristian, 2015. "Unemployment in Scandinavia during an economic crisis: Cross-national differences in health selection," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 115-124.
    12. Desesquelles, Aline F. & Egidi, Viviana & Salvatore, Michele A., 2009. "Why do Italian people rate their health worse than French people do? An exploration of cross-country differentials of self-rated health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1124-1128, March.
    13. Mine Kühn & Christian Dudel & Tobias C. Vogt & Anna Oksuzyan, 2017. "Trends in gender differences in health and mortality at working ages among West and East Germans," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2017-009, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    14. Jan-Bennet Voltmer & Edgar Voltmer & Jürgen Deller, 2018. "Differences of Four Work-Related Behavior and Experience Patterns in Work Ability and Other Work-Related Perceptions in a Finance Company," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-20, July.
    15. Maria Carmen Martinez & Frida Marina Fischer, 2019. "Work Ability and Job Survival: Four-Year Follow-Up," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-11, August.
    16. Cullati, Stéphane, 2014. "The influence of work-family conflict trajectories on self-rated health trajectories in Switzerland: A life course approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 23-33.
    17. Oksoo Kim & Bo Hye Kim & Hae Ok Jeon, 2012. "Risk factors related to hazardous alcohol consumption among Korean men with hypertension," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(2), pages 204-212, June.
    18. Arie Arizandi Kurnianto & Gergely Fehér & Kevin Efrain Tololiu & Edza Aria Wikurendra & Zsolt Nemeskéri & István Ágoston, 2023. "Analysis of the Return to Work Program for Disabled Workers during the Pandemic COVID-19 Using the Quality of Life and Work Ability Index: Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    19. Ilaria Sottimano & Gloria Guidetti & Sara Viotti & Daniela Converso, 2019. "The Interplay between Job Control, SOC Strategies, and Age in Sustaining Work Ability in a Sample of Administrative Employees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, March.
    20. Evangelos C. Alexopoulos & Mary Geitona, 2009. "Self-Rated Health: Inequalities and Potential Determinants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-14, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:10:p:1257-:d:115833. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.