Global Positioning System (GPS) Exposure to Environments & Relations With Biomarkers of Cancer Risk

The prevalence of overweight and obesity are increasing worldwide. In the U.S., approximately 85,000 new cancer cases per year are related to obesity. Understanding lifestyle behaviors, their causes, and relations to cancer are critical. Where people spend their time during the day may be related to their risk of getting cancer. This project will assess behaviors in different locations across the day and relate exposure to different environments to biological outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Sedentary Lifestyle

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to advance methods of cancer risk exposure assessment by measuring both neighborhood access and total environment exposure to healthy environments by dynamically integrating Global Positioning System (GPS) data with Geographical Information System (GIS) data. We hypothesize that dynamic GPS based measures of environmental exposure will be more strongly related to behavior and insulin and inflammation biomarkers than static address based GIS measures of access.

Primary Aim:

To compare Dynamic vs Static GIS measures of physical activity (PA) supportivity and their associations with PA behaviors, body mass index (BMI), and biological markers.

Secondary Aim:

To compare Dynamic vs Static GIS measures of access to healthy food and their associations with dietary intake, BMI, and biological markers.

Exploratory aim:

Social environment (e.g. eating with others) has been identified as an important determinant of health, but assessment of this has been limited to self-report through surveys or text prompts. Images from a person worn camera (the SenseCam) provide an objective and continuous assessment of social environment e.g. number of social interactions per day, eating alone or with others. In a subsample of participants (N=30), we propose to explore whether portable SenseCam measures of social interactions & social behaviors from person view images are more strongly related to breast and colon cancer risk factors than self-reported social environment measures. Behaviors and built environments (especially food locations) can also be coded to validate the accuracy of the GIS measures and the machine learned behavior categories employed in the full sample.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 601

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • La Jolla, California, United States, 92093
      • UC San Diego

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 35 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

700 35 - 80 year old adults living in San Diego County

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 35 - 80 years
• live in the same residence selected for the study for at least one year
• are able to walk without human assistance
• are able to read and write fluently in English or Spanish
• have a stable phone
• leave their home at least 3 or more times per week
• have a stable weight over the past 3 months (+/- 5 lbs)
• spend most of their time within San Diego County
• will be in San Diego County for the study period (i.e. not travel or border crossing)
• are able to give informed consent and comply with the protocol
• are willing to complete all assessments and wear all devices for 14 days.

Exclusion Criteria:

• are younger than 435 or older than 80 years of age
• are pregnant or nursing
• have a mental state that would preclude complete understanding of the protocol or compliance
• have a chronic illness that may be associated with weight change
• are participating in another clinical trial
• have type 1 diabetes
• have an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis
• have an intestinal disease such as celiac disease, Crohn's disease, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or sensitivities or allergies to gluten
• have psoriasis
• have a history of or a current eating disorder
• have had previous weight loss surgery
• plan to travel into Mexico during the two-week study period or have a history of travel to Mexico
• are taking second generation or "atypical" antipsychotics
• live with someone else who is participating in this study
• are currently taking weight loss supplements and unwilling to stop for a predetermined "wash-out" period

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Blood Insulin Levels	14 Days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, San Diego
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Kerr, PhD, UC San Diego

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Jankowska MM, Sears DD, Natarajan L, Martinez E, Anderson CAM, Sallis JF, Matthews SA, Crist K, Dillon L, Johnson E, Barrera-Ng A, Full K, Godbole S, Kerr J. Protocol for a cross sectional study of cancer risk, environmental exposures and lifestyle behaviors in a diverse community sample: the Community of Mine study. BMC Public Health. 2019 Feb 13;19(1):186. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6501-2.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 29, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): September 29, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 13, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): March 21, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 19, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 17, 2019
• Last Verified: June 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 1R01CA179977 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)