Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Commuting”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

In-vehicle exposure to aldehydes while commuting on real commuter routes in a Korean urban area.

This study evaluated in-vehicle exposure to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde on actual commuting routes, while focusing on three factors (transportation mode, passenger car type, and commuting season). A total of 40 passenger car commuters and 20 public bus commuters were recruited. The same commuters participated in both the summer and the winter studies. The transportation mode and passenger car type were found to have little effect on the in-vehicle aldehyde levels. Conversely, the commuting season did influence the in-vehicle aldehyde levels. Meanwhile, the mean formaldehyde-to-acetaldehyde concentration ratios were similar in both the passenger cars and the public buses, plus there were significant correlations (P<0.0001) between formaldehyde and acetaldehyde concentrations for both the passenger cars and the public buses. This study also confirmed that, under Korean commuting conditions, vehicle interiors are an important microenvironment for exposure to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The mean in-car concentrations were 20.0 and 8.9 ppb for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, respectively. Similarly, the mean in-bus concentrations were 21.2 and 9.1 ppb for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, respectively. Furthermore, the in-vehicle formaldehyde levels were higher than those of a previous California study.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1988

Commuting--a further stress factor for working people: evidence from the European Community. II. An empirical study.

This report summarizes the main results of research promoted by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, concerning the impact of commuting on the health and safety of workers. An empirical study, carried out among 1167 industrial Italian workers, shows that "commuters" (workers whose journey from home to work usually does not take less than 45 min in each direction) experienced a more stressed life-style than did "non commuters" (whose journey does not take more than 20 min). Commuting appears for many workers to be a necessity which is imposed by external factors, such as the housing market and job opportunities. Commuting is shown to interfere with patterns of everyday life by restricting free-time and reducing sleeping time. A majority of commuters use public transport mainly because of cost. Public transport commuters have problems due to more changes between modes, idle waiting times and delays leading to late arrival at work. Inside transport modes, commuters suffered discomfort as a result of overcrowding, microclimatic conditions, noise and vibrations. Commuters also reported higher psychological stress scores, more health complaints, essentially of psychosomatic nature, and greater absenteeism from work due to sickness. Commuting, in addition to shiftwork, further increases sleep problems, psychosomatic complaints and difficulties with family and social life. Women commuters were at a greater disadvantage than men, having more family difficulties, more travelling complaints and higher absenteeism.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Sleep habits of Long Island Rail Road commuters.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We addressed the issue of how commuting affects sleep habits, and its association with general health and potential sleep disorders in individuals on a large, U.S. commuter rail system. DESIGN: Postage-paid mail back questionnaires were distributed to commuters over 6 consecutive weekdays. The questionnaire incorporated previously validated questions regarding sleep habits. SETTING: Questionnaires were dispensed at 15 different rail stations. PARTICIPANTS: 21,000 commuters accepted the questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Data was analyzed by total group and length of commute. A total of 4715 (22%) questionnaires were returned. Over 50% of the sample reported difficulty with sleep and wakefulness while only 3% sought professional help. Sleep apnea was suspected in 4.2% of male and 1% of female respondents and was associated with increased reports of excessive daytime sleepiness, and history of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Total nocturnal sleep time was significantly less in those subjects with long commutes. Seventy percent of respondents reported napping during the commute. Length of commute was associated with hypertension. CONCLUSION: Commuting long distances negatively impacts one's ability to capture adequate sleep. Data suggests that there may be significant numbers of respondents with unrecognized sleep disorders which further impact on general health.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Student's exposure to volatile organic compounds while commuting by motorcycle and bus in Taipei City.

This study examined student's exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while commuting by bus and motorcycle in Taipei, Taiwan in the winter of 1992. A total of 19 target C5-C10 VOCs on three most frequently used commuting routes were collected on Tenax-GC adsorbent tubes. The VOCs were desorbed by thermal desorption method and analyzed by GC-MS. The most abundant VOC exposure experienced by commuters was to toluene. Several alkylated benzenes, such as propyl benzenes, ethyl-methyl-benzenes and trimethyl-benzenes, were relatively abundant on the roads in Taipei. The mean benzene concentration measured in buses was 173 micrograms/m3 and motorcycles. On the average, the commuters in Taipei experienced about three to eight times higher VOC concentrations than the commuters in Los Angeles, California. Higher VOC concentrations were measured on motorcycles than in buses. The VOC concentrations were not significantly different between morning and afternoon commutes, nor among the three commuting routes. VOC concentrations measured in classroom at three schools in downtown Taipei did not vary significantly on each sampling day. However, at each school the in-classroom VOC concentrations varied significantly over the six consecutive sampling days. The VOC concentrations measured on the roads were about five times higher than those measured in the school classrooms in the city. Moderate to high correlations were found among most of the measurements of the 19 VOCs. The survey questionnaire indicated that daily commuting time ranged from 45 minutes for elementary school students to 95 minutes for vocational school students.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Commuting, leisure-time physical activity, and cardiovascular risk factors in China.

PURPOSE: The relationship between both commuting and leisure-time physical activity and selected cardiovascular risk factors was analyzed. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 1996 in urban Tianjin, China. A total of 2002 male and 1974 female subjects aged 15-69 yr completed the survey. Commuting, leisure-time physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, and cigarette smoking were determined. RESULTS: Doing more than 60 min of commuting physical activity or combined commuting and leisure-time physical activity was related to the highest mean blood pressure and the highest prevalence of hypertension among both genders compared with going to and from work by bus; 31-60 min commuting only or commuting plus leisure-time physical activity was associated with the lowest mean blood pressure in women and the lowest prevalence of hypertension in both genders. Daily time on commuting or leisure-time physical activity was inversely related to mean body mass index and prevalence of overweight among men and prevalence of smoking among both genders. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that commuting and leisure-time physical activity were favorably associated with cardiovascular risk factors in this Chinese population, except that more than 60 min of physical activity was associated with high blood pressure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Objective physical activity of filipino youth stratified for commuting mode to school.

PURPOSE: The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey included self-report measures and objective measures (Caltrac accelerometer) of Filipino adolescent (ages 14-16) physical activity (PA) in 1998-99. The purpose of this subanalysis was to compare objectively monitored PA of adolescents who differed by their self-reported habitual commuting mode to school, specifically commuting by walking, motorized transport, or a combination of the two. METHODS: Descriptive analysis included the proportion of adolescents who reported commuting to school by the different modes, participating in sport/exercise during or after school, or currently working. ANCOVA was used to estimate and compare adjusted mean Caltrac-derived energy expenditure (kcal.d ) by commuting mode for each gender. Covariates were age, weight, and height. RESULTS: The analysis sample of 1518 Filipino adolescents included 691 male (BMI = 18.5 +/- 2.5) and 827 female subjects (BMI = 18.7 +/- 2.3). A total of 323 male subjects (46.8% of all male subjects) walked to school, 160 (23.2%) took motorized transport, and 208 (30.0%) used a combination of the two modes. The corresponding values for female subjects were 303 (36.6%), 177 (21.4%), and 347 (42.0%). The absolute difference in Caltrac-derived energy expenditure that appeared to be due to active commuting was 44.2 kcal.d for Filipino male adolescents and 33.2 kcal.d for female adolescents. These differences between commuting modes could not be explained by participation in sport/exercise or by current employment. CONCLUSIONS: Assuming 200 school days in a year, the difference in energy expended due to active commuting translates to a 8840 kcal and 6640 kcal in male and female subjects, respectively. For those youth who commute to school by motorized transport a yearly positive energy balance (i.e., weight gain) of 2-3 lb would be anticipated, all other things being held constant.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Evaluation of commutability of control materials.

The commutability of 13 control materials was evaluated by performing parallel measurements on two different analysers: a Synchron CX-5 Delta from Beckman-Coulter and a Vitros 950 from Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics. Twenty three clinical chemistry analytes (substrates, electrolytes and enzymatic activities) were determined in plasma from 15 different patients in order to define intermethod relationship for each analyte. The relationship observed for each control material was compared to those obtained for patients' specimens. The results show that commutability depends both on the tested analyte and on the control material. No totally commutable material has been found for the whole set of tested parameters. Most control materials were commutable for inorganic phosphate, glucose, chloride, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, amylase and y-glutamyltransfera-se, but less than a quarter of control materials were commutable for sodium, calcium, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase and lipase. Seven materials were commutable for more than half of the analytes, whereas five control materials were commutable for less than a quarter of these analytes. We propose to verify the commutability of materials before their use in an external quality control assessement.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Procedure for studying commutability validated by biological variation.

In the field of laboratory medicine, the two quantitative approaches designed to identify the stabilized materials that produce results that are commutable with results from patients' samples were found to differ. In commutability evaluations, the responses of each material and each method studied are specific, thus, it is vital to standardise the procedure used for determining this characteristic. We incorporated statistical components from the two described methods that seemed to be consistent, and added a new element based on biological variation, to validate the criterion of acceptability that determines whether or not a material is commutable. The three methods for studying commutability (using the confidence interval [alpha = 0.05], the +/- 2s(yx) formula, and the limit based on biological variation as acceptability criteria) were applied to creatinine results from 31 stabilised materials and serum samples analysed with seven instruments, when compared against a reference method for creatinine analysis. Over the wide range of concentrations studied, the confidence interval limit and the biological variation limit coincided in the identification of commutable materials, whereas the +/- 2s(yx) was excessively permissive at normal and low concentration levels. We therefore recommend the use of Passing-Bablok regression with its confidence interval (alpha = 0.05) in studies concerning commutability. Using this method, commutability is simple to calculate with available software and, as validated by biological variation, results are reliable.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2002

Actual commuter exposure to methyl-tertiary butyl ether, benzene and toluene while traveling in Korean urban areas.

This study evaluated in-car and in-bus exposures to methyl-tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), benzene, and toluene on actual commuting routes, not hypothetical routes as used in many previous in-vehicle exposure studies of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It focuses on four potentially influencing factors (transportation mode, passenger-car type, time of day, and season). A total of 40 passenger car commuters and 20 public bus commuters were recruited. The same commuters participated in both the summer and winter studies. The transportation mode, passenger-car type and commute season were all found to affect the in-vehicle levels of the target VOCs. Conversely, the commute time of day had little effect on the in-car and in-bus levels of the target compounds. The present study also confirmed that under Korean commuting conditions, passenger car and public bus interiors are important microenvironments for exposure to MTBE, benzene and toluene. This is supported by a previous finding that both in-car and in-bus air levels of the target VOCs tend to be much higher than ambient air levels of the compounds. Meanwhile, some spurious gasoline sold during the experimental periods appears to have elevated the in-car and in-bus exposures to toluene compared with those reported by some previous studies conducted in the same study area.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

Physical activity during leisure and commuting in Tianjin, China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate physical activity during leisure time and commuting among persons aged 15-69 years in the urban population of Tianjin, China, and to assess its associations with demographic and health-related characteristics. METHODS: In 1996 a cross-sectional survey of 2002 males and 1974 females provided information on physical activity during leisure time and commuting and on demographics and health behaviours. FINDINGS: No leisure-time physical activity was engaged in by 67% of females and 61% of males. However, only 4% of females and 9% of males reported an absence of physical activity during commuting. The mean duration of leisure-time physical activity for the whole population was about 10 min per day. The average commuting time on foot or by bicycle was about 30 min. Leisure-time physical activity was more frequent among highly educated people, people with high incomes, white-collar workers, married people, non-smokers, or people commuting on foot or by bicycle than among other people. Persons with low incomes, male blue-collar workers and married people were more likely than others to engage in 30 min or more per day of physical activity on foot or by bicycle when commuting. CONCLUSION: People in Tianjin engaged in a high level of physical activity when commuting and a low level of leisure-time physical activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Polycentrism, commuting, and residential location in the San Francisco Bay area.

"The San Francisco Bay Area has taken on a distinct polycentric metropolitan form, with three tiers of hierarchical employment centers encircling downtown San Francisco.... In this paper it is found that polycentric development is associated with differentials in suburban and urban commute trip times: commute trips made by employees of suburban centers are shorter in duration than commute trips made by their counterparts in larger and denser urban centers. Differentials were even greater, however, with respect to commuting modal splits. Lower density, outlying employment centers averaged far higher rates of drive-alone automobile commuting and insignificant levels of transit commuting....The effects of housing availability and prices on the residential locational choices of those working both in urban and in suburban employment centers are also investigated...."

Americas↗
PubMed1990

[Spatial and socio-demographic characteristics of commuters in Olsztyn Voivodship].

The authors discuss changes in commuting patterns and characteristics of commuters in Olsztyn Voivodship, Poland. It is found that "commuters to towns are considerably younger than [those] commuting in the opposite direction [and] a decisive majority of commuters are employed as manual workers (85%). Education level of female commuters in both directions was relatively higher than that of males, [with a] higher per cent of females [working] as white-collar workers." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND RUS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

Commuting--a further stress factor for working people: evidence from the European Community. I. A review.

About 100 million workers in the European Community commute to and from work daily. A review of the available data shows that commuting has increased in recent decades as rising car ownership has produced a more dispersed pattern of residential and job locations. In general, average commuting durations are falling, although average commuting distances are increasing as a result of faster commuting modes. However, the number of very long duration journeys have also increased, albeit from a small level. Up to now most research has focused on transport and land use issues, while very few studies have dealt with its impact on health, safety and social life of the workers. The available data indicate commuting to be a stress factor not only because of transport modes, but also by its interference with living and working conditions: namely, reduction of time available for discretionary leisure activities and increased absenteeism at workplace. Long-term effects on health have not been adequately investigated. Well integrated policies and strategies concerning the different aspects of this problem (transport, health, work organization, residential planning) must be developed both at the local and international levels to facilitate adequate solutions for this stressful condition.

Employment↗
PubMed1997

Commutability between stabilized materials and fresh human serum to improve laboratory performance.

With the recent advances in laboratory technology, many quality-related problems have been improved. However, the issue of commutability, a factor that greatly affects daily decisions concerning patient status, still remains to be solved. This paper determines the commutability between 27 stabilized materials (controls and calibrators) and clinical specimens for five serum quantities, using carrier-bound reagent chemistry and conventional wet methods. Our aim was to pinpoint the specific problems related to non-commutable calibrators and controls in our setting, and minimize their effect in daily practice. We found major difficulties in selecting appropriate accuracy controls in carrier-bound reagent techniques, and in finding materials commutable for several analytes simultaneously. Several suggestions for reducing problems related to non-commutability, such as procedures for assigning values to multicalibrators, are proposed. We explain the apparent incongruencies observed in daily quality surveillance, when data from different control materials (internal quality control and external quality assessment) are evaluated. The conclusions emphasize the need for a combined effort (manufacturers, organizers of external quality assessment schemes and individual laboratories) to find the cause of, and eliminate, the negative repercussions on laboratory performance produced by non-commutability.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMed1999

Commutability and traceability: their repercussions on analytical bias and inaccuracy.

The commutability of calibrators and accuracy control materials affects the traceable link between patient sample results and standards. We sought to identify the repercussions of commutability on various aspects of laboratory practice (calibration, control of bias and accuracy assessment) and to discover the solutions that can reduce the problems produced by non-commutability with presently available resources. Ten serum constituents, ten comparison procedures and 37 analytical procedures were studied. The information concerning accuracy and bias provided from materials found to be commutable in previous works was challenged with native serum results for each routine and reference method compared, using Passing-Bablok regression and decision limits derived from biological variation. We found that: (1) Use of commutable control materials did not assure reliable information on the bias (systematic component of analytical error) of analytical procedures, and (2) Results from native serum and commutable controls were very highly concordant, indicating that these materials provide a good indication of the inaccuracy (total analytical error) of results. We suggest that the performance of individual laboratories would be better evaluated by occasional use of native sera with values assigned by reference methods in EQAS schemes. Moreover, our findings support the idea that manufacturers should assign values to calibrators using reference methods and native sera to reduce matrix effects and promote traceability.

Calibration↗
PubMed1999

Non-commutativity in the brain.

In non-commutative algebra, order makes a difference to multiplication, so that a x b not equal to b x a. This feature is necessary for computing rotary motion, because order makes a difference to the combined effect of two rotations. It has therefore been proposed that there are non-commutative operators in the brain circuits that deal with rotations, including motor circuits that steer the eyes, head and limbs, and sensory circuits that handle spatial information. This idea is controversial: studies of eye and head control have revealed behaviours that are consistent with non-commutativity in the brain, but none that clearly rules out all commutative models. Here we demonstrate non-commutative computation in the vestibulo-ocular reflex. We show that subjects rotated in darkness can hold their gaze points stable in space, correctly computing different final eye-position commands when put through the same two rotations in different orders, in a way that is unattainable by any commutative system.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Omission of active commuting to school and the prevalence of children's health-related physical activity levels: the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Study.

BACKGROUND: Active commuting to school by walking or bicycle is a potential source of continuous moderate activity for children that has been largely ignored in surveys of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the analytical impact of omitting active commuting to school (walking or bicycling) on conclusions about children's physical activity levels. METHODS: The Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Study (RLMS) is the first nationally representative household survey in the Russian Federation. More than 6400 households from all regions of Russia were surveyed eight times between 1992 and 1998. Analysis was conducted using physical activity data (school physical education classes, out-of-school active pursuits and active commuting to school) obtained by parent-proxy on 1094 (572 boys, 522 girls) school-aged Russian children (mean age 10.2 +/- 1.9 years) participating in the November 1998 round of the RLMS. Data were examined according to prevalence of achievement of health-related physical activity guidelines, active commuting to school behaviours included then omitted. RESULTS: Omitting active commuting to school resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of achievement of health-related guidelines from 12% to 20%, similar for both genders. Likewise, the prevalence of sedentarism (defined as not meeting any of the guidelines) was increased by 17-22%. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that, in order to avoid misclassification bias of children's physical activity levels, it is necessary to include questions about mode of commuting to school. The findings also carry practice implications: the commonplace need to get to and from school may be a missed opportunity for children's health-related physical activity in motorized societies.

Adolescent↗