Urban Exposome and Health

Abstract

Abstract Background The environment in which we live is thought to explain 70% of the non-communicable disease burden. The aim of EXPANSE project (funded from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 874627) is to evaluate the optimal strategies for maintaining health in the context of contemporary urban environments. As a component of the project, Urban Labs allow deep phenotyping of the urban exposome and assessing its use and perception. The Urban Labs aim to improve exposure assessment, identify mediating and modifying lifestyle factors, and link the urban exposome to intermediate endpoints relevant for cardiometabolic and pulmonary health. Methods By monitoring the activities of 4,000 individuals in five distinct urban areas, Urban Labs provide a comprehensive understanding of the urban exposome, which can be compared with residential address-based model estimates. The participants complete a baseline questionnaire, repeated bi-monthly questionnaires and exposure-specific questionnaires over a period of 2 years using mobile phone application (ExpanSeeker). Two-week personalized measurements including spatial-temporal activity patterns, sensor-based environmental and behavioral measurements, and minimally invasive biological sample collection are performed covering different seasons. Results The Baseline Questionnaire (BQ) and two-weeks measurement campaigns (MC) were completed in European cities as follows: Athens BQ = 379, MC = 232; Barcelona BQ = 1040, MC = 303; Basel BQ = 731, MC = 655; Lodz BQ = 634, MC = 100; The Netherlands (multicity) BQ = 1033, MC = 326. Data collection process is ongoing. Conclusions The collection of novel data on individuals activities and perceptions within temporal and geographical contexts in Urban Labs will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how the urban dwellers are exposed to and interact with their environment, thereby supporting healthier urban engineering and policy making. Key messages • Urban Labs will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the urban environment on individual’s behavior, their exposome, enabling more accurate prediction of non-communicable risk. • Urban Labs will provide a base to support healthier urban engineering and policy making.