Effects of Transportation Choices on Commuter Health (ETCH)

June 10, 2025 updated by: Misti Levy Zamora, UConn Health

Effects of Transportation Choices on Commuter Health (ETCH): Impacts of Modifiable Factors on Personal Exposures and Acute Health

The primary project objective is to investigate how an individual's choices influence personal exposures to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) and the corresponding acute health effects. TRAPs are a complex mixture of particulate and gaseous pollutants that vary considerably spatially and temporally. There is increasing evidence that TRAPs inflict a broad range of deleterious health effects in both health-compromised and healthy individuals, and it has been reported that traffic pollutants may cause up to half of all air pollution-related mortalities. Despite the burden from such widespread, involuntary exposures, few studies have examined the magnitude of personal exposures due to commuting exposures. Most commuters travel to and from work during two peak travel periods, which occur during weekday mornings and evenings. Public transportation, bicycling, and walking have been promoted as ways to reduce air pollution by reducing the vehicle fleet, yet few studies have examined how exposures are modified due to an intentional change in the time of commute or the subsequent health effects.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

65 participants will be asked to modify the time of day that they commute to work to examine if changes in their time of departure can reduce air pollution exposures and lead to meaningful health benefits. Participants will be asked to commute to work during the morning rush hour for two consecutive days and then outside peak traffic times during a separate sampling period. During the two 48-hour sampling periods, real-time PM2.5, CO, CO2, NO2, O3, temperature, relative humidity, location, and noise will be measured. Passive personal monitors that can sequester more than 1500 chemicals will also be incorporated. These measurements will be complemented with assessments of four urinary biomarkers, urinary benzene, blood pressure, lung function, and pulmonary inflammation of the lower airways. Since TRAPs tend to be most concentrated during two relatively short periods of time, the study goal is to assess if adjustments in personal behavior can result in reduced exposures to TRAPs and lead to health benefits.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
65

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Misti L Zamora, PhD
  • Phone Number: (860) 540-6550
  • Email: mzamora@uchc.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • Farmington, Connecticut, United States, 06030
        • UConn Health

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 99 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study will include 65 working adults (age 18 years and over) who live in Hartford County, CT. Both males and females will be recruited into the study. The study will include all racial/ethnic groups for this study in an attempt to be representative of the Hartford population.

Description

Must be YES to qualify

  1. Do you live or work in Hartford County?
  2. Do you normally commute for more than 20 minutes in the morning?
  3. Does your normal route to work include a heavily trafficked road?
  4. Can you work outside your home for at least 2 days in a row during the sampling week?
  5. You will be asked to commute to work by car for two days between 6:30-8:30 am (during rush hour) and outside of the rush hours (before or after that time range) on two different days of the study. You may be the passenger or driver during the commute. Is this something you are willing and able to do?
  6. Are you willing and able to complete questionnaires/ surveys in English by text message or email?
  7. Do you have access to e-mail?
  8. Are you 18 years or older?

Must be NO to qualify

  1. Are you currently pregnant?
  2. Do you smoke?
  3. Do you have usual exposure to environmental tobacco smoke?
  4. Have you been diagnosed with a chronic lung disease, such as COPD or asthma? Must not have an episode/exacerbation within the last six months
  5. Are you currently taking hypertension medications?

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Hartford Commuters

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Blood Pressure measurements before and after the sampling period
Time Frame: Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period of each participant (4 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Systolic and Diastolic measured on the non-dominant arm
Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period of each participant (4 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Changes in FEV1 (Spirometry)
Time Frame: Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period; also collected after each commute (8 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
FEV is short for forced expiratory volume. FEV1 is the amount of air you can force from your lungs in one second. It's measured during a spirometry test, also known as a pulmonary function test, which involves forcefully breathing out into a mouthpiece connected to a spirometer machine.
Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period; also collected after each commute (8 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Changes in FVC (Spirometry)
Time Frame: Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period; also collected after each commute (8 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Forced vital capacity (FVC) is the total amount of air exhaled during the FEV test. Forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity are lung function tests that are measured during spirometry.
Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period; also collected after each commute (8 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Exhaled Nitric Oxide before and after sampling period
Time Frame: Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period (4 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Identifies airway inflammation
Collected pre and post each 48-hour sampling period (4 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Presence of urinary biomarkers of exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs (nPAHs) in urine
Time Frame: Collected after each 48-hour sampling period (2 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.
Urinary biomarkers of PAHs and nPAHs exposures can be utilized to evaluate systemic inflammation.
Collected after each 48-hour sampling period (2 measurements per participant). Participants will complete all measurements within one season.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
UConn Health

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Misti L Zamora, PhD, UConn Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 6, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 14, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 24, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 15, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 24, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 7, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 11, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 22-272-1
  • R00ES029116 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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