Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37575116›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2023

Examining the impacts of public transit on healthy aging through a natural experiment: study protocols and lessons learned from the Active El Paso project.

Wei Li, Chanam Lee, Sinan Zhong, Minjie Xu, Samuel D Towne, Xuemei Zhu, Sungmin Lee, Suojin Wang, Rafael Aldrete, Eufemia B Garcia and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

14 authors.

Wei LiDepartment of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Chanam LeeDepartment of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Sinan ZhongDepartment of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Minjie XuDepartment of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Samuel D TowneDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Xuemei ZhuCenter for Health Systems and Design, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Sungmin LeeDepartment of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Suojin WangDepartment of Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Rafael AldreteTexas A&M Transportation Institute, Austin and El Paso, TX, United States.
Eufemia B GarciaColonias Program, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Leah WhighamCenter for Community Health Impact and Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, El Paso, TX, United States.
Ashley M ToneyCenter for Community Health Impact and Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, El Paso, TX, United States.
Jorge IbarraDepartment of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Marcia G OryDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.

Funding

Fighting Obesity by Reinventing Public Transportation: A Natural ExperimentR01CA228921 · NCI · TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY · PI LEE, CHANAM, LI, WEI · 2018 to 2022
$2.8M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA228921
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This paper describes protocols and experiences from a seven-year natural-experiment study in El Paso, Texas, a border city of predominantly Latino/Hispanic population. The study focuses on how Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) impacts physical activity and thus plays a role in alleviating obesity and related chronic diseases that impact healthy aging. Our protocols describe a longitudinal and case-comparison study, which compared residents exposed to new BRT stations with those who were not. This paper also introduces lessons and experiences to overcome the following challenges: delays in the BRT opening (the main intervention), the COVID-19 pandemic, methodological challenges, participant recruitment and retention, and predatory survey takers. Our transdisciplinary approach was pivotal in addressing these challenges. We also proposed and tested multi-level intervention strategies to reduce modifiable barriers to transit use. Our most important takeaway for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers is the importance of being flexible and ready to adapt to new circumstances. Future natural-experiment researchers need to become more versatile in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world.

Indexed as

COVID-19ExerciseHealthy AgingTransportationHispanic or LatinoHumansPandemicsTexascommunity healthhealthy agingnatural experimentobesityphysical activitypublic healthpublic transit

Identifiers

PMID37575116
PMCPMC10415912

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.