Evidence map›Paper›PMID 15385407›Full record

SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2004

Promoting walking and cycling as an alternative to using cars: systematic review.

David Ogilvie, Matt Egan, Val Hamilton, Mark Petticrew

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 96 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
96citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

96 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The Effect of Human Settlement Pedestrian Environment on Gait of Older People: An Umbrella Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
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  7. Synthesising evidence for equity impacts of population-based physical activity interventions: a pilot study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2013
    Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. A systematic review of interventions for promoting active transportation to school.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2011
    Pooled it
  10. Interventions to promote cycling: systematic review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2010
    Pooled it
  11. Organisational travel plans for improving health.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2010
    Pooled it
  12. Pooled it
  13. Pooled it
  14. Interventions to promote walking: systematic review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2007
    Pooled it
  15. Trial
  16. Trial
  17. Employers' views of promoting walking to work: a qualitative study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2015
    Trial
  18. Trial
  19. Trial
  20. Article

36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

David OgilvieMRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RZ. d.ogilvie@msoc.mrc.gla.ac.uk
Matt Egan
Val Hamilton
Mark Petticrew

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess what interventions are effective in promoting a population shift from using cars towards walking and cycling and to assess the health effects of such interventions. DATA SOURCES: Published and unpublished reports in any language identified from electronic databases, bibliographies, websites, and reference lists. REVIEW

methodsSystematic search and appraisal to identify experimental or observational studies with a prospective or controlled retrospective design that evaluated any intervention applied to an urban population or area by measuring outcomes in members of the local population.

results22 studies met the inclusion criteria. We found some evidence that targeted behaviour change programmes can change the behaviour of motivated subgroups, resulting (in the largest study) in a shift of around 5% of all trips at a population level. Single studies of commuter subsidies and a new railway station also showed positive effects. The balance of best available evidence about publicity campaigns, engineering measures, and other interventions suggests that they have not been effective. Participants in trials of active commuting experienced short term improvements in certain measures of health and fitness, but we found no good evidence on effects on health of any effective intervention at population level.

conclusionsThe best available evidence of effectiveness in promoting a modal shift is for targeted behaviour change programmes, but the social distribution of their effects is unclear and some other types of intervention have yet to be rigorously evaluated.

Indexed as

Health BehaviorMotivationAutomobile DrivingBicyclingCross-Sectional StudiesHealth PromotionHumansProspective StudiesRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicWalking

Identifiers

PMID15385407
PMCPMC520994

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.