1189 | 265 | Moving More in the City: The Role of Micromobility in Promoting Physical Activity | Alexandra Bretones; Oriol Marquet; Carme Miralles
In the last years there has been an increase in the use of electric micromobilities in cities. Due to their novelty, their effects in population’s health and physical activity levels are still unknown. While the evidence on physical activity associated with e-bike use seems to be quite solid, little evidence exists on the physical activity associated with e-scooter use. Still, the literature has acknowledged the scarcity of sufficient evidence regarding reasonable MET values that accurately reflect electric micromobility. Moreover, it is known that energy expenditure varies depending on the geographical context and trip profile. With this study we aim to assess the physical activity (PA) associated with the use of micromobilities in the city of Barcelona, both in real world and traffic-adjusted conditions, by using objective measures from GPS and accelerometer tracking. This data comes from the NEWMOB project that aimed at understanding micromobility use conditions in the city of Barcelona by tracking the mobility of 176 micromobility users for 7 days. The final data set consisted of 502 trips distributed between 128 from electric scooters, 308 from conventional shared bikes, and 66 from electric shared bikes . Using multilevel linear mixed effects models and marginal effects, associations amongst different MET values and the specific micromobility mode were found, showing clear differences between bikes and scooters . Results measured in total energy expenditure or energy expenditure per minute of trip both find conventional bikes to be the most active mode, followed by e-bikes. E-scooters showed low levels of physical exertion, challenging the idea that they can be considered as an active mode of transport. Our findings highlight the significant impact that the mode of transportation can have on PA levels, with bikes offering the greatest potential for increasing trip PA.
Alexandra Bretones; Oriol Marquet; Carme Miralles
Research Group on Mobility, Transportation and Territory (GEMOTT); Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
ID Abstract: 265