Encouraging active transport: an RCT on mobile devices

Last registered on August 31, 2022

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Encouraging active transport: an RCT on mobile devices

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0009600

Initial registration date

June 17, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

June 18, 2022, 10:26 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated

August 31, 2022, 2:00 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country

Finland

Region

Pirkanmaa

Primary Investigator

Name

Anna Sahari

Affiliation

VATT Institute for Economic Research

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Lassi Ahlvik

PI Affiliation

University of Helsinki

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2021-06-01

End date

2023-05-31

Keywords

Behavior, Environment & Energy, Health

Additional Keywords

Transportation

JEL code(s)

R41, I12

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

The goal of the research project is to evaluate the effectiveness of health messages in encouraging active modes of transport. Active transport refers to walking and cycling, either as the sole mode of transport or as part of trips done via public transport. The intervention will be carried out using a mobile application with an algorithm that automatically tracks mobility and transport mode, including walking, cycling, car, bus, tram and train. The application is currently used to inform individuals of the carbon footprint of their daily transport. During the intervention, half of the application users will be randomized into a treatment group which will receive information on their level of active transport and on the health impacts in the form of reduced risk for certain health conditions.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Ahlvik, Lassi and Anna Sahari. 2022. "Encouraging active transport: an RCT on mobile devices." AEA RCT Registry. August 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9600-1.1

Sponsors & Partners

Partner

Name

City of Tampere

Type

municipality

URL

https://www.tampere.fi/en

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The intervention makes use of a mobile application which automatically tracks the daily mobility of users who have chosen to install the application. The application informs its users of the carbon footprint of their daily transport and it is provided by the City of Tampere for residents and visitors in the region. During the intervention, half of the application users will be randomized into a treatment group which will receive additional information on their level of their active transport (walking and cycling) and its health impacts.

Intervention Start Date

2022-09-01

Intervention End Date

2022-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Amount of walking (length in meters, time in minutes)

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Amount of cycling, driving and use of public transport (length and time by mode), carbon footprint of transport, API calls to measure user engagement with the application, survey responses

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Half of the users of the application will be randomized into a treatment group. This group will receive an update to their application, which will give the following information using visuals and messages: their level of active transport on a daily and weekly level, historical data on their activity level, comparison to other application users and the impact of weekly activity on health risks. The intervention will last three months.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization by computer

Randomization Unit

Individual-level randomization by strata. For the randomization, we will create strata based on pre-treatment level of walking in August 2022 (5 groups + 1 for missing), pre-treatment level of cycling in August 2022 (3 groups + 1 for missing) and location (Inner Tampere, Outer Tampere, Outside Tampere). This is to ensure geograhical coverage and observations from all levels of pre-treatment activity.

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

5296 individuals

Sample size: planned number of observations

5296 individuals

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

2647 individuals in control, 2649 individuals in treatment

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

For our main variable of interest (individual-level daily walking): 2.5 minutes per individual per day (5.6% increase) and 115 meters per individual per day (7.2% increase).

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB