This document provides a comprehensive description of the data collection process, instruments, data cleaning and analysis for the INTERACT study, to be used for future reference, manuscripts, and presentations.
The INTerventions, Equity, Research, and Action in Cities Team (INTERACT) is a pan-Canadian research collaboration of scientists, urban planners, public health officials, community partners, and engaged public uncovering how the design of our cities is shaping the health and well-being of all Canadians. Since 2017, INTERACT has developed and implemented mixed methods natural experiment studies together with partners, including cohort studies in four Canadian cities: the All Ages and Abilities Cycling Network in Victoria; the City Greenways Plan in Vancouver; the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Saskatoon; and the ecological transition and resilience policies that call for an array of greening, place-making, traffic-calming, and transportation interventions in Montreal. INTERACT was first established through a CIHR team grant and is co-led by three principal investigators: Yan Kestens (Université de Montréal), Meghan Winters (Simon Fraser University), and Daniel Fuller (University of Saskatchewan).
In 2021, INTERACT received CIHR Project Grant funding for an additional five years to continue work on its overarching goal, to evaluate the impact of built environment interventions on health and health equity. Building on our past work and reflecting the challenges cities face today, INTERACT aims to further action toward healthy cities, with greater attention to socio-political context, implementation, and equity.
The goals of the INTERACT program is to measure the impact of changes to sustainable transportation interventions in physical activity, social connectedness, and well-being, and inequities in these outcomes. Across all INTERACT study sites, we aim to:
Learn more at www.teaminteract.ca
In 2016, Vancouver, Victoria, and Saskatoon conducted a concept mapping exercise with city stakeholders on factors that contribute to the success of interventions. Results of this work has been published here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113383
In 2022, as part of INTERACT 2nd phase, a team of researchers is looking at how health and equity are considered in the planning and design of sustainable transportation interventions, through a policy document analysis and key informant interviews on whether equity and health were considered and how.
Results of this work was submitted for publication in 2024. Methods can be found on the INTERACT OneDrive: “INTERACT Policy Context”.
During the first phase of INTERACT, spatial data on interventions was collected locally. The catalogue of GISc layers available on Compute Canada is available here: https://teaminteract.ca/wp-content/uploads//2019/08/GIS_metadata.html
Several data sources were used for this; some are specific to each INTERACT site while others are from national or provincial data sets.
As part of INTERACT’s second phase, a team of researchers is mapping the socio-spatial patterning of interventions in the 4 INTERACT cities. Methods can be found on the INTERACT OneDrive: “INTERACT Objective 2 Socio-spatial patterning”
In Saskatoon, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a $66M+ investment in a 22 km BRT system along three major roadways. Starting in 2018, the City of Saskatoon made major service changes to bus routes in preparation for BRT. The overall BRT plan was approved by City Council on April 29, 2019, following delays due to ongoing public debate on the location of two of the major corridors (downtown and Nutana). This led to delays in its detailed planning and implementation. BRT’s completion is expected in 2027.
Ethics Review and Approval
All procedures were reviewed and approved by the Behaviour Research Ethics Board at the University of Saskatchewan (BEH# 17-347).
Study Boundaries
The study area is the City of Saskatoon.
| Study Instrument | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Health Survey | Sept 19, 2018 | Dec 28, 2018 |
| VERITAS | Sept 19, 2018 | Jan 9, 2019 |
| Sensedocs | Oct 1, 2018 | Feb 21, 2019 |
| Ethica | Sept 19, 2018 | Feb 21, 2019 |
Saskatoon Transit made significant changes to routes on July 1st, 2018 in preparation for the City’s new BRT system.
People were eligible to participate if they 1) were an adult; 2) who lived in the city of Saskatoon with no plans to move in the next two years; 3) understood English well enough to complete a 20-minute survey; and 4) used the bus at least once in a typical month; OR 4) lived within 800 m of the proposed BRT lines (as determined by their postal code).
Recruitment began in September 2018 and involved social media posts (Facebook, Twitter and posts to the Bus Riders of Saskatoon FB page); media releases; handing out information cards at bus shelters; posters on buses; the University of Saskatchewan PAWS Bulletin.
Participants received a $10 gift card to McNally Robinson provided by email upon completion of at least the Health Questionnaire, A series of prizes were advertised to incentivize participation. The City of Saskatoon provided most prizes, and one prize pack was purchased. Participants were given entries based on the number of study elements they participated in. For every additional element completed including VERITAS, Ethics and/or wearing a Sensedoc accelerometer, they received another entry into the draw. INTERACT purchases the gift cards, speaker and headphones. The City provided the passes.
Prizes were: 1) Annual transit pass 2) Annual leisure pass 3) Month transit pass 4) Month leisure pass 5) UE Boom Bluetooth speaker and Skullcandy Bluetooth Headphones
All participants provided consent via online or a hard copy form before answering any questions on the survey platform.
Participants first completed the eligibility questionnaire to ensure they met the criteria to participate in the longitudinal study (see inclusion/exclusion criteria). In this questionnaire, participants could choose the participation option for that wave:
1 | Full participation: Surveys, smartphone app, and wearable sensor
2 | Partial participation : Surveys and a smartphone app
3 | Partial participation : Surveys and a wearable sensor
4 | Basic participation: Surveys
The INTERACT Health Questionnaire is made up of core questions, asked across all sites and local questions, driven by city partner needs. Core questions focus on INTERACT’s key health outcomes: physical activity, social participation, and well-being. The core questionnaire also includes questions on socio-demographic data, general health, use of activity monitors, housing type, and neighbourhood.
Health questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#health_questionnaire_title
The VERITAS questionnaire collects spatial and social information on participants.
Time Reference: Participants were asked about the places they visited “At least once a month”
VERITAS questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#veritas_questionnaire_title
The Ethica app gathers data from the embedded sensors of participant smartphones to provide information about daily mobility (GPS and Wi-Fi) and physical activity (accelerometer and gyroscope). It also occasionally prompts participants with short survey questions (EMA). The app also collects data about phones’ battery status. The data are collected for 1 minute every 5 minutes.
Au automated email was sent to participants with instructions on downloading Ethica.
The Ethica study was #448. The Ethica app captured:
GPS
WiFI
Accelerometer
Activity Recognition
Pedometer
Battery
Gyroscope
EMA surveys (including mood questions)
EMA questions and schedule : https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#ema_title
The SenseDoc is a multisensor device used for mobility (GPS) and physical activity (accelerometer) tracking in the INTERACT study. Participants are asked to where the device for 10 consecutive days, from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed. They are given a form to track wear time each day. The location data in the SenseDoc are provided by a GPS receiver at 1Hz, continuously as long as the device was charged and on. The accelerometer is programable and was set to measure at 50Hz continuously.
| status | Eligibility | Health | Veritas | Ethica | SenseDoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New participant | 403 | 316 | 239 | 160 | 113 |
| Total | 403 | 316 | 239 | 160 | 113 |
| Study Instrument | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Health Survey | Sept 17, 2020 | Feb 7, 2021 |
| VERITAS | Sept 17, 2020 | Feb 7, 2021 |
| Sensedocs | Oct 12, 2020 | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Ethica - round 1 (EMA only) | Sept 17, 2020 | Feb 5, 2021 |
| Ethica - round 2 (full) | Mar 22, 2021 | Apr 29, 2021 |
See explanations in Ethica section.
No major changes to bus service since 2018.
People were eligible to participate if they 1) were an adult; 2) who lived in the city of Saskatoon with no plans to move in the next two years; 3) understood English well enough to complete a 20-minute survey; and 4) used the bus at least once in a typical month; OR 4) lived within 800 m of the proposed BRT lines (as determined by their postal code). Returning participants were eligible even if they did not live in the City of Saskatoon, so as not to lose anyone who may be living outside of the city temporarily during the height of the pandemic (i.e. students).
Soft launch was Sept. 17, 2020. Full launch was Sept. 23, 2020. Recruitment for returning participants was done through MailChimp emails, and reminder emails sent through Outlook for follow-up. Recruitment for new participants involved promoting the study on social media (Facebook ads, Instragram stories with participating local businesses), posters on buses (130 to Saskatoon Transit and Access Transit), the University of Saskatchewan PAWS Bulletin, emails to community orgs and neighbourhood associations. There was no in person recruitment
Participants received a $10 Gift Card to local Saskatoon businesses provided by email upon completion of at least the Health Questionnaire (Fable Ice Cream, Darkside Donuts, City Perks/Sparrow, Night Oven Bakery)
Prizes: A series of prizes were advertised to incentivize participation. The City of Saskatoon provided monthly (valued at $83) and annual (valued at $913) transit passes. Participants were given entries based on the number of study elements they participated in. For every additional element completed including VERITAS, Ethics and/or wearing a Sensedoc accelerometer, they received another entry into the draw. INTERACT purchases the gift cards, speakers and headphones. The City provided the passes.
All participants provided consent via online or a hard copy form before answering any questions on the survey platform.
Participants first completed the eligibility questionnaire to ensure they met the criteria to participate in the longitudinal study (see inclusion/exclusion criteria). In this questionnaire, participants could choose the participation option for that wave:
1 | Full participation: Surveys, smartphone app, and wearable sensor
2 | Partial participation : Surveys and a smartphone app
3 | Partial participation : Surveys and a wearable sensor
4 | Basic participation: Surveys
The INTERACT Health Questionnaire is made up of core questions, asked across all sites and local questions, driven by city partner needs. Core questions focus on INTERACT’s key health outcomes: physical activity, social participation, and well-being. The core questionnaire also includes questions on socio-demographic data, general health, use of activity monitors, housing type, and neighbourhood.
Health questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#health_questionnaire_title
Questions were the same for new and returning participants, with some exceptions: i.e. demographic information that does not change (for ex. whether they were born in Canada) was not asked to returning participants.
Key additions at w2 were:
The VERITAS questionnaire collects spatial and social information on participants.
Time Reference: Due to the Covid context, the time prompt was changed from w1. Participants were asked about the places they visited “At least once in the past month”
VERITAS questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#veritas_questionnaire_title
The Ethica app gathers data from the embedded sensors of participant smartphones to provide information about daily mobility (GPS and Wi-Fi) and physical activity (accelerometer and gyroscope). It also occasionally prompts participants with short survey questions (EMA). The app also collects data about phones’ battery status. The data are collected for 1 minute every 5 minutes.
Au automated email was sent to participants with instructions on downloading Ethica.
The Ethica study was #1318. The Ethica app captured:
GPS
WiFI
Accelerometer
Activity Recognition
Pedometer
Battery
EMA surveys (including mood questions)
EMA questions and schedule : https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#ema_title
Issue:
Ethica Round 1 was mistakenly set up, so no telemetry data was collected, only EMAs. We saved the Round 1 data from study 1318 to Compute Canada, and deleted all data from the Ethica platform for study 1318, to start anew with that study ID.
The team chose to ask all participants to contribute to a second round, with the correct parameters. Emails to participants were sent March 22nd, 2021, and participants had one week to sign up for a round 2. Participants who had never joined Ethica were invited, as well as people who had signed up for Ethica Round 1. More prizes were added as an incentive.
Even though we had collected EMA data correctly for Round 1, we collected EMA again for Round 2. We asked participants to answer the EMA questions based on their current situation, and not try to remember their answers from last time they did the study on the app.
The SenseDoc is a multisensor device used for mobility (GPS) and physical activity (accelerometer) tracking in the INTERACT study. Participants are asked to where the device for 10 consecutive days, from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed. They are given a form to track wear time each day. The location data in the SenseDoc are provided by a GPS receiver at 1Hz, continuously as long as the device was charged and on. The accelerometer is programable and was set to measure at 50Hz continuously.
| status | Eligibility | Health | Veritas | Ethica | SenseDoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New participant | 241 | 155 | 99 | 42 | 15 |
| Returning participant | 141 | 110 | 63 | 44 | 17 |
| Total | 382 | 265 | 162 | 86 | 32 |
| Study Instrument | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Health Survey | Sept 26, 2022 | Jan 23, 2023 |
| VERITAS | Sept 26, 2022 | Jan 23, 2023 |
| Sensedocs | Oct 8, 2022 | Oct 24, 2022 |
| Ethica | Oct 1, 2022 | Mar 4, 2023 |
No major changes to bus service since 2020. Biggest barrier: City waiting for Federal/Provincial funding decision regarding BRT in Fall 2022. By the end of the recruitment phase (Jan 2023), there had still not been any news on the BRT funding decision from the provincial/federal governments. BRT delayed by one year due to the pandemic, June 2026, https://globalnews.ca/news/8162913/saskatoons-bus-rapid-transit/
All pandemic restrictions were removed during 2022 data collection. However, some participants continued to work from home which may have changed their transportation patterns from previous waves, particularly from w1-w3.
People were eligible to participate if they 1) were an adult; 2) who lived in the city of Saskatoon with no plans to move in the next two years; 3) understood English well enough to complete a 20-minute survey; and 4) used the bus at least once in a typical month; OR 4) lived within 800 m of the proposed BRT lines (as determined by their postal code). Returning participants were eligible if they lived in the City of Saskatoon.
Recruitment for Wave 3 began on September 26, 2022 and recruitment efforts ended on December 19th, 2022.Main recruitment efforts for W3 included: Mail chimp emails to returning participants, further bcc emails to returning participants and new participants who had completed eligibility but did not finish questionnaires in later stages of recruitment (Nov, Dec), PAWS Bulletin, emails to community orgs, neighbourhood associations/facebook groups and CHEP department newsletter, Facebook ads, Posters up at Saskatoon Leisure Centres, Libraries, and other City of Saskatoon offices (sent via Marketing dept @ City of Saskatoon).
Participants received a $10 Gift Card upon completion of both Health and VERITAS questionnaires. Participants could chose a card from a) Tim Hortons, b) Sobeys, c) Best Buy or d) the Ultimate Dining Card.
Prizes: A series of prizes were advertised to incentivize participation which included a $100 VISA gift card, Saskatoon transit passes (1 x annual and 1 x 1-month pass) and 3 Saskatoon transit prize packs. Participants were given entries based on the number of study elements they participated in. For every additional element completed including VERITAS, Ethica or wearing a Sensedoc accelerometer, they received another entry into the draw. 4 total entries were possible: 1 for completing Health, 1 for VERITAS, 1 for starting Ethica, and 1 for wearing a Sensedoc.Only participants who wore the SD were entered; participants who agreed to do SD but did not get one delivered to them were not entered. Anyone who started the ethica app was entered.
Prizes - One $100 VISA Gift Card - One monthly (valued at $83) City of Saskatoon transit pass (e-pass) - One annual (valued at $913) transit pass (e-pass) - 3 Saskatoon transit prize packs (bag, hat, socks, pen, note pad etc).
All participants provided consent via online or a hard copy form before answering any questions on the survey platform.
Participants first completed the eligibility questionnaire to ensure they met the criteria to participate in the longitudinal study (see inclusion/exclusion criteria). In this questionnaire, participants could choose the participation option for that wave:
1 | Full participation: Surveys, smartphone app, and wearable sensor
2 | Partial participation : Surveys and a smartphone app
3 | Partial participation : Surveys and a wearable sensor
4 | Basic participation: Surveys
The INTERACT Health Questionnaire is made up of core questions, asked across all sites and local questions, driven by city partner needs. Core questions focus on INTERACT’s key health outcomes: physical activity, social participation, and well-being. The core questionnaire also includes questions on socio-demographic data, general health, use of activity monitors, housing type, and neighbourhood.
Health questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#health_questionnaire_title
Issues:
Spam participants: 2-3 weeks into recruitment, a high number of participants completed the Health and VERITAS surveys between the hours of 10pm and 9am over one night. Most of the emails used look like they had been automatically generated. These participants also had extremely fast click-through rates (under 20 mins). These participants were flagged in data tables and should be excluded in analyses.
Double completions: a small glitch enabled some participants to be able to fill in surveys as both new and returning participants.
The VERITAS questionnaire collects spatial and social information on participants.
Time Reference: Participants were asked about the places they visited “At least once in the past month”
Issues:
Spam participants: 2-3 weeks into recruitment, a high number of participants completed the Health and VERITAS surveys between the hours of 10pm and 9am over one night. Most of the emails used look like they had been automatically generated. These participants also had extremely fast click-through rates (under 20 mins). These participants were flagged in data tables and should be excluded in analyses.
Double completions: a small glitch enabled some participants to be able to fill in surveys as both new and returning participants.
VERITAS questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#veritas_questionnaire_title
The Ethica app gathers data from the embedded sensors of participant smartphones to provide information about daily mobility (GPS and Wi-Fi) and physical activity (accelerometer and gyroscope). It also occasionally prompts participants with short survey questions (EMA). The app also collects data about phones’ battery status. The data are collected for 1 minute every 5 minutes.
Au automated email was sent to participants with instructions on downloading Ethica.
The Ethica study was #2341. The Ethica app captured:
GPS
WiFI
Accelerometer
Activity Recognition
Pedometer
Battery
EMA surveys (including mood questions)
EMA questions and schedule : https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#ema_title
The SenseDoc is a multisensor device used for mobility (GPS) and physical activity (accelerometer) tracking in the INTERACT study. Participants are asked to where the device for 10 consecutive days, from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed. They are given a form to track wear time each day. The location data in the SenseDoc are provided by a GPS receiver at 1Hz, continuously as long as the device was charged and on. The accelerometer is programable and was set to measure at 50Hz continuously.
SD deployment was cut short due to MUN requesting SD’s back and major delay in UofS research contract for borrowing UdeM SD’s.
These numbers include spam participants.
| status | Eligibility | Health | Veritas | Ethica | SenseDoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New participant | 235 | 170 | 142 | 23 | 0 |
| Returning participant | 177 | 150 | 134 | 52 | 9 |
| Total | 412 | 320 | 276 | 75 | 9 |
REVIEW NEEDED
| Study Instrument | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Health Survey | Sept xx, 2024 | Dec 21, 2024 |
| VERITAS | Sept xx, 2024 | Dec 21, 2024 |
| Sensedocs | |
|
| Ethica | Sept xx, 2024 | Dec 21, 2024 |
Built environment context
(Saskatoon team to update)
People were eligible to participate if they 1) were an adult; 2) who lived in the city of Saskatoon with no plans to move in the next two years; 3) understood English well enough to complete a 20-minute survey; and 4) used the bus at least once in a typical month; OR 4) lived within 800 m of the proposed BRT lines (as determined by their postal code). Returning participants were eligible if they lived in the City of Saskatoon.
Recruitment began in September 2024. Returning participants were invited to rejoin the study at this wave by email and phone calls.
For new participants, we used the following approaches:
Social media: We used the INTERACT Facebook page for promotion and programmed paid ads on Meta.
Snowball Recruitment: Refer a friend campaigns encouraged current participants to share details about the study with their peers for bonus entries to the prize draw. This year, participants who referred a friend who completed at least the health survey could receive a $10 giftcard; for a maximum of $20 in giftcards.
Others?
Participants were entered into a lottery for a chance to win their choice of:
One $500 giftcard to the retailer of their choice or
One of 5 $100 giftcards to the retailer of their choice
In 2024, we changed the participant flow from prior waves. Instead of asking participants up front about how many activities they wanted to participate in, we presented all options, and gradually invited people to join the optional activities. All study activities, except the health questionnaire were presented as optional. The study activities were:
1 | Health Questionnaire: minimum participation
2 | VERITAS Questionnaire: optional map-based survey. Participants were invited to start VERITAS right away, at the end of the health questionnaire on the Polygon platform. If they said no, they received an email 3-days later with details about VERITAS and a link to begin that survey.
3 | Avicenna (formerly Ethica): a GPS and PA tracking app. Participants were asked whether they were interested in knowing more about the Avicenna app at the end of the health questionnaire, on the Polygon platform. If yes, they received an email 5 minutes later with information on how to download the app. Coordinators sent manual reminders to people who indicated they were interested in Avicenna, but had not yet signed up.
The SenseDoc was not offered as a study activity in Vancouver due to lack of availability of devices and logistical burden
All participants provided consent via online form before answering any questions on the survey platform.
Participants first completed the eligibility questionnaire to ensure they met the criteria to participate in the longitudinal study (see inclusion/exclusion criteria).
The INTERACT Health Questionnaire is made up of core questions, asked across all sites and local questions, driven by city partner needs. Core questions focus on INTERACT’s key health outcomes: physical activity, social participation, and well-being. The core questionnaire also includes questions on socio-demographic data, general health, use of activity monitors, housing type, and neighbourhood. Health questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#health_questionnaire_title
Questions were the same for new and returning participants, with some exceptions: i.e. demographic information that does not change (for ex. whether they were born in Canada) was not asked to returning participants.
Key changes at w4 were:
The Saskatoon-specific questions were very lightly modified:
We asked about the new name for the BRT, Link.
All questions referencing covid-19 were removed.
Flags / Issues
group_id (ethnicity question) was mistakenly asked to
returning participants. This means we may have conflicting information
from the first time they completed an INTERACT questionnaire.The VERITAS questionnaire collects spatial information on participants.
Returning participants who had completed Veritas at Wave 1 received a pre-seeded survey with their answers from w1, w2 and w3. They were shown the seeded places from w1, w2 and w3, and asked whether they still visited that place and to update the place form. They were then asked about other or new locations they visited at least once in the past month.
Participants who reported moving between W1/W2/w3 and W4 were given an empty VERITAS.
Time Reference: Participants were asked about the places they visited “At least once in the past month”
VERITAS questions can be found here: https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#veritas_questionnaire_title
The Avicenna app gathers data from the embedded sensors of participant smartphones to provide information about daily mobility (GPS and Wi-Fi) and physical activity (accelerometer and gyroscope). It also occasionally prompts participants with short survey questions (EMA). The app also collects data about phones’ battery status. The data are collected for 1 minute every 5 minutes.
Au email was sent to participants with instructions on how to download Ethica.
The Ethica study was #3729. The Ethica app captured:
GPS
WiFI
Accelerometer
Activity Recognition
Pedometer
Battery
EMA surveys: Questions on where participant’s phone was located (pocket, table, bag, etc), mood questions, mode used for the first trip of the day, fun facts, and encouraging messages.
EMA questions and schedule : https://teaminteract.ca/ressources/INTERACT_datadict.html#ema_title
The SenseDoc option was not offered to participants in Saskatoon at wave 4, due to insufficient access to devices, and to lower the barriers to participation.
| status | Eligibility | Health | Veritas | Ethica | SenseDoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New participant | 379 | 175 | 51 | 11 | 0 |
| Returning participant | 203 | 165 | 55 | 32 | 0 |
| Total | 582 | 340 | 106 | 43 | 0 |