Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34148012›Full record

ArticleEnvironment international2021

Health impacts of changes in travel patterns in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana.

Leandro Garcia, Rob Johnson, Alex Johnson, Ali Abbas, Rahul Goel, Lambed Tatah, James Damsere-Derry, Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour, Marko Tainio, Thiago H de Sá and 1 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Environment international, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Leandro GarciaMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK. Electronic address: L.Garcia@qub.ac.uk.
Rob JohnsonMRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Alex JohnsonDepartment of Transport, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Accra, Ghana.
Ali AbbasMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Rahul GoelMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Lambed TatahMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
James Damsere-DerryCSIR Building and Road Research Institute, Accra, Ghana.
Elvis Kyere-GyeabourCollege of Humanities, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Marko TainioMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Sustainable Urbanisation Programme, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, Helsinki, Finland; Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
Thiago H de SáDepartment of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
James WoodcockMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Funding

British Heart FoundationCancer Research UKDepartment of HealthMedical Research Council MR/K023187/1Medical Research Council MR/P024408/1Medical Research Council MR/U105260566Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 087636/Z/08/ZWorld Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealth impact assessments of alternative travel patterns are urgently needed to inform transport and urban planning in African cities, but none exists so far.

objectiveTo quantify the health impacts of changes in travel patterns in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana.

methodsWe estimated changes to population exposures to physical activity, air pollution, and road traffic fatality risk and consequent health burden (deaths and years of life lost prematurely - YLL) in response to changes in transportation patterns. Five scenarios were defined in collaboration with international and local partners and stakeholders to reflect potential local policy actions.

resultsSwapping bus and walking trips for car trips can lead to more than 400 extra deaths and 20,500 YLL per year than travel patterns observed in 2009. If part of the rise in motorisation is from motorcycles, we estimated an additional nearly 370 deaths and over 18,500 YLL per year. Mitigating the rise in motorisation by swapping long trips by car or taxi to bus trips is the most beneficial for health, averting more than 600 premature deaths and over 31,500 YLL per year. Without significant improvements in road safety, reduction of short motorised trips in favour of cycling and walking had no significant net health benefits as non-communicable diseases deaths and YLL benefits were offset by increases in road traffic deaths. In all scenarios, road traffic fatalities were the largest contributor to changes in deaths and YLL.

conclusionsRising motorisation, particularly from motorcycles, can cause significant increase in health burden in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. Mitigating rising motorisation by improving public transport would benefit population health. Tackling road injury risk to ensure safe walking and cycling is a top priority. In the short term, this will save lives from injury. Longer term it will help halt the likely fall in physical activity.

Indexed as

Air PollutionBicyclingGhanaHumansTransportationTravelWalkingActive transportationAir pollutionHealth impact assessmentMode shiftTraffic incident

Identifiers

PMID34148012
PMCPMC7612136

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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.