We would like to ask you if you would like to participate in a research project for active transport in commuting trips. In this document you will receive information about the project and what it means to participate.
What does the project entail and why do you want me to participate?
ActiveTravel is a health-promoting innovation project based on a previous study where we investigated the effect of digital tools on active transport in everyday life.
Insufficient physical activity is today a major public health problem and studies have shown that as few as 7% of adults in Sweden reach up to 150 minutes of physical activity per week. One way to increase physical activity is to walk or cycle instead of taking the car (so-called active transport). Something most people do daily is to get to and from their workplace, which makes active transport in connection with work commuting a desirable behaviour to try to influence. Active transport can significantly contribute to an individual’s physical activity level, thereby reducing the risk of several public health diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Furthermore, today 9 out of 10 mobile phones sold in Sweden are smartphones. The fact that so many people have a smartphone makes it possible to promote physical activity via mobile applications (apps).
The aim of this study is therefore to evaluate whether an app (designed to stimulate active transport) contributes to increasing the amount of physical activity among adults by having the participant choose active transport when commuting to and from work.
Since your employer has chosen to participate in the “ActiveTravel” project, you as an employee are invited to participate in this evaluation study.
The research lead for the project is Karolinska Institutet. Research principal means the organization responsible for the study. The study has been approved by the Ethics Review Authority (diary number to be completed, ethics application submitted).
How is the project designed?
At the start of the study, you will be asked to download the “ActiveTravel” app via Google Play or the App Store. After you download the app, you will be asked to give your consent digitally in the app (this consent). Once this is done you will be asked to answer a short survey. This survey contains questions about; your background, how physically active you currently are and how you experience your health-related quality of life. The survey takes about 5-8 minutes to fill in. Three and nine months after the start of the study, you will be asked to answer a short survey, this time only with questions about your perceived health-related quality of life.
At the start of the study, your travel habits will be collected with the ActiveTravel app for seven days without you changing your current habits in any way. By having your phone with you, the app provides a suggestion of how you travelled, which you review, complete and approve. After seven days, additional functions will be activated in the app and you will have the opportunity to follow your current level of active transport and to set individual goals to increased your amount of active transport. The app will also give you support and tips on how you can move more in your everyday life. We would like this version of the app to be used for at least 12 weeks. You will have the opportunity to use the app for a total of 9 months.
You may also be asked to participate in an individual interview at the end of the period, in order to further contribute to the evaluation. However, in that case, a separate invitation and opportunity to accept that will come at a later stage.
Possible consequences and risks of participating in the project
We do not see that this project should entail any risks for you. If you choose to participate, you contribute to increased knowledge about how active commuting can be encouraged, the development of the ActiveTravel app, while at the same time you contribute with important information for what potential there is regarding health, sick leave, CO2 emissions, need for car parking, etc. at your workplace. The participating workplaces receive advice and tips about the types of measures that the businesses can take to help realize these potentials.
We design questionnaires and possible interviews in such a way that the questions should not be perceived as offensive and should be understood by all participants.
What happens to my data?
Karolinska Institutet and Trivector Traffic AB would like you, through the ActiveTravel app, to provide information about how you travel during a limited period of time as well as your survey responses regarding background information, level of physical activity and your perceived health-related quality of life. Data is collected by Trivector Traffic and will be shared with Karolinska Institutet for research purposes. Data may also be disclosed to other research institutions for research purposes if it can help to understand how today’s transport system is used and how future transport systems should be developed.
Some compilations will be shared with your organization in order to provide information on how they can improve the conditions for more active commuting. All compilations are amalgamations of many people’s data so that it is not possible to distinguish individual individuals and their journeys.
We intend to collect and process background information about you, e.g. age, gender, perceived health-related quality of life and – for a limited time – means of transport, distance, time, geographic location of your journeys and purpose of your stops. To offer the best user experience, we use data about your phone and how you use ActiveTravel. Some data will be deleted when it is compiled in the way needed for the survey. Remaining data will be saved as long as it is useful to understand how the transport system is used.
You decide for yourself whether you want to provide us with any information. Information you provide to us will be treated confidentially so that only authorized persons have access to the material. When results are reported, this is only done in aggregated form so that individual individuals cannot be distinguished.
According to current legislation, you have the right to be informed, free of charge, once per calendar year, after a written and signed application sent to us, which personal data about you we can process and how we process it. You can also always see the travel data and survey data we have about you in your own ActiveTravel app. You also have the right to request your data to be deleted at any time. To be able to request information about you or request that data be deleted, it is required that you can enter the ActiveTravel ID assigned to your phone by ActiveTravel (found under settings in ActiveTravel’s main menu). Without this ActiveTravel ID, we are unable to find your data.
Data collected automatically via your mobile phone is stored in Sweden. Only people working with the project will have access to the material and the analysis of the data will be carried out on coded material. All data in the project will be processed so that unauthorized persons cannot access them.
How do I receive information about the results of the project?
The researchers will report on the results of the study in scientific journals and at scientific conferences. This information will be provided at group level, exemplified by de-identified quotes (from interviews of sample participants – separate invitation to participate). The results can also be published and communicated in popular science contexts.
Insurance and compensation
No specific insurance is taken out or compensation is paid for participation in the study.
Participation is voluntary
Your participation is voluntary, and you can choose to cancel your participation at any time. If you choose not to participate or wish to cancel your participation, you do not need to state why, and it won’t have any consequences for your work situation. If you wish to cancel your participation, please contact the person responsible for the project (see below).
Study management & responsibilities
Responsible for data collection in the ActiveTravel-app is Trivector Traffic AB:
Trivector Traffic AB
Åldermansgatan 13
227 64 Lund
tel. 046-456 56 00
info@trivector.se
org.nr. 556555-1701
Contact persons at Trivector are:
Sara Boije af Gennäs, sara.boije@trivector.se
Emeli Adell, emeli.adell@trivector.se
Responsible for the evaluation study from ActiveTravel are:
Matilda Ersson, 0762171188, matilda.ersson@ki.se
Prof. Marie Löf, marie.lof@ki.se
Karolinska Institutet
Department Biosciences and Nutrition
Grupp MLÖ, 141 83 Huddinge
