title: Health Impacts of Active Transportation in Europe.
abstract: Policies that stimulate active transportation (walking and bicycling) have been related to heath benefits. This study aims to assess the potential health risks and benefits of promoting active transportation for commuting populations (age groups 16-64) in six European cities. We conducted a health impact assessment using two scenarios: increased cycling and increased walking. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality related to changes in physical activity level, exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution with a diameter <2.5 μm, as well as traffic fatalities in the cities of Barcelona, Basel, Copenhagen, Paris, Prague, and Warsaw. All scenarios produced health benefits in the six cities. An increase in bicycle trips to 35% of all trips (as in Copenhagen) produced the highest benefits among the different scenarios analysed in Warsaw 113 (76-163) annual deaths avoided, Prague 61 (29-104), Barcelona 37 (24-56), Paris 37 (18-64) and Basel 5 (3-9). An increase in walking trips to 50% of all trips (as in Paris) resulted in 19 (3-42) deaths avoided annually in Warsaw, 11(3-21) in Prague, 6 (4-9) in Basel, 3 (2-6) in Copenhagen and 3 (2-4) in Barcelona. The scenarios would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the six cities by 1,139 to 26,423 (metric tonnes per year). Policies to promote active transportation may produce health benefits, but these depend of the existing characteristics of the cities. Increased collaboration between health practitioners, transport specialists and urban planners will help to introduce the health perspective in transport policies and promote active transportation.
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain.|Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain.|Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rojas-Rueda
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Nazelle
authors.affiliation: Center for Epidemiology and Screening, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Zorana J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Braun-Fahrländer
authors.affiliation: Kolin Institute of Technology (KIT), Kolin, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruha
authors.affiliation: Kolin Institute of Technology (KIT), Kolin, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bruhova-Foltynova
authors.affiliation: Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME), Paris, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Desqueyroux
authors.affiliation: Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles, France.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Praznoczy
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martina S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ragettli
authors.affiliation: The Systems Research Institute (SRI), Warsaw, Poland.|UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tainio
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain.|Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain.|Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuijsen
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D002947:Cities; D018153:Czech Republic; D003718:Denmark; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D062489:Health Impact Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010297:Paris; D011044:Poland; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D013557:Switzerland; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*