Author:
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Sanchez, Margaux; Ambros, Albert; Salmon, Maëlle; Bhogadi, Santhi; Wilson, Robin T.; Kinra, Sanjay; Marshall, Julian D.; Tonne, Cathryn
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Abstract:
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Daily mobility, an important aspect of environmental exposures
and health behavior, has mainly been investigated in high-income
countries. We aimed to identify the main dimensions of mobility
and investigate their individual, contextual, and external
predictors among men and women living in a peri-urban area of
South India. We used 192 global positioning system
(GPS)-recorded mobility tracks from 47 participants (24 women,
23 men) from the Cardiovascular Health effects of Air pollution
in Telangana, India (CHAI) project (mean: 4.1 days/person). The
mean age was 44 (standard deviation: 14) years. Half of the
population was illiterate and 55% was in unskilled manual
employment, mostly agriculture-related. Sex was the largest
determinant of mobility. During daytime, time spent at home
averaged 13.4 (3.7) h for women and 9.4 (4.2) h for men. Women's
activity spaces were smaller and more circular than men's. A
principal component analysis identified three main mobility
dimensions related to the size of the activity space, the
mobility in/around the residence, and mobility inside the
village, explaining 86% (women) and 61% (men) of the total
variability in mobility. Age, socioeconomic status, and
urbanicity were associated with all three dimensions. Our
results have multiple potential applications for improved
assessment of environmental exposures and their effects on
health. |